Why I Feel This Way
by DareU2Bme
Summary: Sequel to "Man's Best Friend"  Read it FIRST. After being reunited with Blaine, Kurt is beyond ecstatic, but life with pet turned lover in the Big Apple isn't exactly what Kurt had hoped for.  warning for allusion to previous dub/non con .
1. Prologue

****Title:**** Why I Feel This Way**  
><strong>Pairings<strong>: **Kurt/Blaine**  
><strong>Rating<strong>: **R**  
><strong>Story Warnings:<strong> **Pet!Blaine, talk of previous dubcon/noncon experiences**  
><strong>Note<strong>: **This story is the SEQUEL to Man's Best Friend

* * *

><p><strong><em>Prologue<br>_**

* * *

><p>Blaine was uncomfortable; that much was obvious.<p>

Kurt hummed to himself as he opened the back driver's side door of his SUV and grabbed his overnight bag. A loud siren blared in the distance, cutting through the unceasing cacophony of noise coming from the city street. Blaine flinched and pressed against the black Navigator, eyes wide, and head turning this way and that trying to get a glimpse of the source of disruption. He was able to catch a glimpse of a large, red vehicle passing by at a high speed through the opening of the tuck-under parking lot of Kurt's apartment building.

"Just a fire truck," said Kurt, softly, as he came around to Blaine's side of the vehicle.

Seconds later, the noise on the street returned to its regular early-morning lull of honking cars, idling engines, and yelling pedestrians, as if nothing had happened. Kurt reached for Blaine with his free hand, interlocking their fingers and smiling as reassuringly as he could at the nervous young man.

"It's been a long drive," said Kurt, fighting down the yawn that threatened to make his point for him. "Let's go up to my apartment and get some sleep."

Kurt directed them across the lot to the elevator and stairwell. When he pressed the button, the elevator doors immediately opened. Blaine took a surprised step backward. Giving his hand a quick squeeze, Kurt pulled him into the small confines of the elevator box. Blaine stood close to Kurt, his shoulder pressed against Kurt's. Kurt pressed the number for his floor and soon the elevator was rising. Blaine's grasp in Kurt's hand tightened at the initial jolt of the elevator's movement.

Tired and thoughts only for his bed, Kurt kept holding Blaine's hand but otherwise ignored his distress at the elevator. Blaine would have endless opportunity to grow accustomed to the elevator in the future.

When the elevator stuttered to a stop and the doors swept open, Kurt led Blaine out into the empty hallway. The carpet was more worn in the centre than on the sides, the walls of the hall a glum off-white, and the scent of the old building hung heavily in the air, but overall, it was a sound, well-kept building considering Kurt's student budget. A door opened at the end of the hall as someone stepped out of their own apartment, most likely on their way to work. Kurt nodded his greeting silently to them as they passed in the hallway, while Blaine cowered away from their presence, pressing against Kurt's back.

A few more steps saw them arrive at the door of Kurt's apartment. Kurt dropped his bag to the floor and retracted his hand from Blaine's tight, nervous grasp. Pulling his keys from his pocket, Kurt unlocked his door before reaching back down for his bag. Blaine followed Kurt into the small apartment, stepping to the side so that Kurt could close and the lock the door behind them.

"Welcome Home," said Kurt with a little flourish and a silly, sleepy grin.

Blaine frowned at him and cocked his head to the side as if asking a silent question. Kurt just smiled at him and patted his shoulder. He kicked off his shoes and nudged them to the side of the crowded entry with his toes. Seeing Kurt take off his shoes, Blaine quickly bent down to untie his own.

"You learned how to tie shoes," commented Kurt as he watched Blaine neatly set his shoes to the side next to his own. "I remember you couldn't manage your laces so Carole bought you those hideous ones with Velcro like you were some sort of mental patient. The loafers I picked out for you later on were a much better alternative... I wonder what happened to them."

Blaine furrowed his brow at Kurt but Kurt just shrugged and stepped into the nearby kitchen. He opened the refrigerator door and pulled out a bottle of water. Twisting off the top, he took a long drink before recapping it and setting it back inside. He looked up when he heard Blaine shuffle into the kitchen behind him.

"Do you want a drink, Blaine?" asked Kurt, grabbing a second bottle of water and offering it to him.

Hesitantly, Blaine took the bottle from him and opened it. He took a few sips before recapping the bottle and handing it back to Kurt.

"I'm just going to set it in here to keep it cold," said Kurt, placing the bottle back in the fridge. "You can get it whenever."

Closing the fridge, Kurt turned around and smiled at Blaine. He was exhausted and nervous but he couldn't help smiling every; he had Blaine back. Sure, it looked like Blaine's time at the farm had caused him to be much more introverted and it was obvious he wasn't comfortable around Kurt like he used to be, but he was safe and he was _home_.

Kurt had driven 22 hours in the last 48, had spent a few hours in the emotional hell of waiting in line and filling out paperwork in hopes of claiming Blaine, and really hadn't slept since he had first learned that Blaine's farm was closing down. With another yawn, Kurt grabbed his overnight bag from where he left it in the entry and walked with tired limbs down the short hall of their apartment to his bedroom. He dropped his bag on the floor next to his queen sized bed and let himself fall onto the plush mattress with a soft moan. He looked up a moment later to see Blaine standing hesitantly in his bedroom doorway. He let out a puff of air and slowly moved to a sitting position.

"I'm sorry, Blaine," said Kurt with a tired smile. "I'm being a terrible host."

With a little effort, Kurt stood from the bed and stepped toward Blaine.

"Here, I'll show you around the apartment," he offered.

Blaine followed Kurt back into the short hallway where Kurt pointed out the bathroom and a closed door that was Rachel's room. Kurt led him back into the small, alley kitchen and then the cosy living room and attached dining room.

"It's small," said Kurt with a shrug after finishing the short tour. "But it is home."

Blaine looked around curiously from where he stood, taking in the scarce furniture and the book shelf covered in books and DVDs. He stepped across the living room to look out the window. They were a number of stories up and the vehicles on the street below looked more like children's toys from his vantage point.

"I _have_ to go to sleep before I collapse on my feet, Blaine," sighed Kurt. "You can watch TV if you're not tired, I know you slept a lot of the drive."

Kurt stopped short to cover his mouth as he yawned again. A similar yawn escaped Blaine just milliseconds after. Kurt rubbed his eyes and smiled at Blaine.

"So, you're tired, too, huh," mused Kurt.

He suddenly frowned as a thought struck him. Biting his bottom lip Kurt glanced around the room, avoiding Blaine's eyes. He shoved his hands in his pockets, a gesture completely out of his character, and let out a long breath.

"Um," started Kurt. "So, I kind of just assumed you'd... um... if you want to sleep..."

Kurt let out a frustrated sigh before looking Blaine in the eye with determination.

"You can sleep with me," he finally said. "If you'd rather, though, you can sleep on the couch. I can bring you a blanket and pillow."

Of course, he knew that Blaine wouldn't answer him with his choice, but he still felt a little frustrated when Blaine just looked at him with a blank expression.

"I'm going to bed," said Kurt with some finality. "You can sleep out here on the couch," he said, pointing to the white leather couch with a brown throw hanging over the arm. "Or you can come with me... uh... or do whatever, just don't leave the apartment."

With that, Kurt left Blaine standing by the window in the living room. Out of character, he ignored the fact he was wearing clothes and that he had skipped his facial moisturizing routine two nights in a row, and instead stiffly crawled into bed. As tired as he was, he laid there awake for a long time, buried under his blankets. He wondered what Blaine was doing and wished he'd come padding into his room like he had done so many times back in highschool. He knew it had been silly of him to expect Blaine to just magically treat him the same as he had before that frightful day when he had been taken away, but now that the reality of it was sinking in, it hurt.

The sun was higher in the sky and his stomach was beginning to rumble with want for something to eat, when Kurt finally let out a sigh of resignation and allowed sleep to overtake him. He needed to get a decent nap in before Rachel returned home from where ever she was that Sunday morning.


	2. Chapter 1

****Title:**** Why I Feel This Way**  
><strong>Pairings<strong>: **Kurt/Blaine**  
><strong>Rating<strong>: **R**  
><strong>Warnings:<strong> **Pet!Blaine (_and all that pertains to that_)**  
><strong>Note<strong>: **This story is the SEQUEL to Man's Best Friend

* * *

><p><strong><em>Chapter One<br>_**

* * *

><p>Like almost every night before it for the past year, Kurt dreamed of Blaine. He dreamed of his smiling face, of his silly tendencies, of how his eyes lit up when something caught his attention. Then, his dream turned to the feel of Blaine's hands on Kurt's skin, of the night they spent together on Blaine's little cot in the tasking farm, of the look on Blaine's face when Kurt had to leave.<p>

Kurt woke clutching a pillow possessively to his chest and tears streaming down his cheeks. It took him a few moments to remember himself and realize he was in his bedroom in his shared apartment with Rachel in New York. He let out a long breath of air as he caught the sound of Rachel's voice wafting through the air along with the smell of coffee. She was an early riser; on from the moment she got out of bed until she crashed every night. Even after living with her for a year, Kurt couldn't wrap his mind around her stamina. She was up before the city's noise, riding a few miles on her exercise bike before hitting the shower.

She had an extensive morning routine that required as much energy as the average person used in an entire day, but Kurt didn't mind waking up to her enthusiastic singing in the kitchen nor the fresh coffee she brewed for him every morning while she only drank tea.

That morning, however, Kurt noticed something strange about the way she was singing and then stopping every few lines to say something to someone. She wasn't on the phone; not even Rachel was eccentric enough to sing on the phone like that during conversation. Well, perhaps she _was_, but who did she know that would be a willing enough recipient of such insanity so early in the morning? Kurt frowned in confusion, straining his ears to try to understand what she was saying.

"...you will just love New York, though!"

Kurt furrowed his brow and crawled out of his bed, yawning and stretching the moment his feet hit the floor.

"...It can be intimidating at first, even for someone as cultured as myself..."

Kurt rolled his eyes as he reached across his bed to pull the covers back up and straighten the pillows.

"... and Kurt and I are done classes for the summer, so we'll have lots of time to show you around and get you acquainted with..."

A realization suddenly hit Kurt causing him to abruptly straighten his stance and his eyes to widen to cartoon proportions.

_Blaine._

It hadn't been some bittersweet dream brought on by too many wishful thoughts before bed one night, Blaine was _home_. Everything that transpired that weekend came back to Kurt's sleep-numbed mind in a flood of memory.

He had left Friday evening and driven all through the night, had arrived Saturday morning without notice, picked up his dad from the shop and driven out to the farm to claim Blaine. After standing in line outside the main office for an hour, waiting for the doors to open, he had gotten in and been one of the first in the line. After some paperwork and plenty of nerves, Blaine was his. Too excited to get Blaine home, Kurt had left that Saturday afternoon without visiting his family and drove all the way home to arrive back in New York on Sunday morning, exhausted and nervous and all smiles.

He had gone to bed that morning for a nap, leaving Blaine in the living room. When he woke that afternoon, he took Blaine with him out to the little corner grocery store on their block, bought some food to cook for supper, and walked back home. He cooked them a late lunch / early supper, humming to himself happily while Blaine sat on one of the chairs and watching him from the dining room. They ate together in silence and then watched some television. Blaine fell asleep on the couch and Kurt turned off the TV and covered him with a blanket before going back to bed to try to catch up on a bit more sleep.

Now, here he was, waking up early Monday morning to the happy sounds of Rachel singing and chattering away in the kitchen. He didn't know where she had been all day Sunday but she must have come home sometime late in the evening after he had gone to bed.

Kurt quickly pulled on his robe, hitching it shut over his blue pyjama set and stepped out of his room into the hallway, ready to save Blaine from Rachel's perky insanity.

"Good morning, Kurt!" exclaimed Rachel, turning from the stove with a bright smile on her face as Kurt entered the kitchen.

"Rachel," sighed out Kurt, giving her a small smile. "Have you been terrorizing Blaine?"

He glanced around the room to find Blaine sitting in a chair in the dining room at the end of the kitchen's alley. His smile grew exponentially when he locked eyes with Blaine.

"Nonsense," snapped Rachel making to smack Kurt with the wooden spoon in her hand. "I was just making Blaine some breakfast since his host is too lazy to do it himself."

"Oh, hush, you," sighed Kurt rolling his eyes fondly.

Rachel smiled and turned to kiss him on the cheek. Kurt watched Blaine's face to gauge his reaction to the familiar gesture from his roommate.

"I'm glad you made it home safely," said Rachel before turning back to the frying pan on the stovetop.

"Thanks," answered Kurt distractedly.

He couldn't help but feel a little disappointed at Blaine's lack of response to Rachel's kiss. Before Blaine had been taken away, it would have taken less than that to set off Blaine's jealousy. Really, the protective possessiveness had been a little ridiculous and a lot problematic, but it had shown Kurt Blaine's feelings for him. Now, Blaine's complete indifference in the matter was disheartening. Putting on a brave face, Kurt smiled brightly at Blaine and stepped around Rachel to join him at the dining table.

"Her cooking is terrible," whispered Kurt, leaning in close to Blaine, giving him a mischievous smile and little wink. "Humor her and we'll grab something better when we go out later this morning."

Blaine stared at him dumbly but his shoulders seemed to relax under Kurt's warm smiles.

Kurt took a seat at the table next to Blaine and only a few minutes later Rachel appeared with their breakfast. She set the plates down in front of Blaine and Kurt with a little flourish before sitting down on the other side of the table with her own plate. Kurt cocked an eyebrow at the food on his plate, chancing a glance across the table at Rachel who simply smiled.

"Curried Tofu Scramble on whole wheat English Muffins topped with a slice of vine tomato," said Rachel with a confident air as she punctuated the words with a raised fork.

She watched Blaine and Kurt stare down at the monstrosities in front of them before rolling her eyes and demanding they 'eat up'. Reluctantly, Kurt picked up his fork and moved some of the fake scrambled egg around his plate before finally taking a bite. Rachel gave him an expectant look, so he forced himself to swallow and give him a smile and nod.

After breakfast, Kurt was quick to disappear to get dressed as Rachel hurriedly cleared the table. Once the dishes were in the sink and the table wiped, Rachel headed to the bathroom to brush her teeth, and then whisked herself out the front door calling out her goodbyes. She had two classes that morning and an exam the following day, but then she was done for the semester.

Kurt reappeared in the kitchen to find Blaine still sitting stiffly at the dining room table. He clucked his tongue to himself and hoped it wouldn't be long before Blaine felt a little more comfortable in their apartment.

"I have to go in to drop off some final projects and arrange a time to take my last exam," said Kurt as he poured some coffee into his thermos. "After, we should go pick you up some _supplies_ since they didn't send any of your things home with you from the farm."

Kurt frowned, his statement causing him to think of the last time he had seen Blaine before moving to New York. He wondered how long Blaine had managed to keep the items he had brought him from home before the people at the farm had taken them from him. Pushing the melancholy thoughts from his mind, he set down the thermos and looked up at the ceiling in contemplation.

"You'll need a few changes of clothes, a toothbrush, a towel, some razors..." He ticked off the items on his fingers as he said them. "What else? Hmmm... Well, we'll think of everything while we're at the store, hopefully."

Kurt turned an appraising eye on Blaine at that moment, looking him up and down. He shook his head and frowned.

"Okay, Blaine," said Kurt. "You're lovely, but I cannot be seen in public with you dressed like that. We are going to have to figure out something for you to wear today."

Grabbing Blaine's hand, Kurt made him get up from the table and pulled him down the hallway to his room. Letting go of Blaine's hand, Kurt slid open his closet door and stared at the contents with a thoughtful frown.

"Okay, so, I think we'll go hipster with you, today," said Kurt, looking back at Blaine. "But don't get used to it because, oh gosh, can you even imagine me choosing to dress someone in hipster clothing? But those worn-out, shapeless jeans of yours will work best that way, and I don't think any of my pants will fit you."

Kurt hummed to himself and began to rifle through his closet, trying to find a shirt for Blaine. With a sound of achievement, he pulled out a white button-up, long sleeve shirt with a very pale blue plaid pattern. Handing it to Blaine, Kurt went back to his closet, pushing a few shirts aside.

"I've never tried pairing articles of clothing so _wrong_ before," laughed Kurt after finding a baggy purple short-sleeve shirt with a very deep v-neck. "Too bad I don't have any of those ridiculous glasses all the hipsters seem to wear."

Kurt twirled around to face Blaine with a silly grin on his face. It quickly faded when he laid eyes on the topless young man standing in front of him. Blaine had pulled off his baggy t-shirt to put on the long-sleeve that Kurt had handed to him and was now standing topless as he tried to undo the small buttons of the shirt.

Mouth dry and lump in his throat, Kurt forced himself to stop staring at the hard muscles of Blaine's torso and light dusting of dark hair over the front of his chest. He had definitely filled out and grown up in the past year and a half. The work he did on the taking farm probably helped a lot with his muscle tone. Kurt cleared his throat nervously before stepping forward and taking the shirt from Blaine's hands.

"Let me help you with that," he croaked, knowing the warm feeling on his face meant he was probably blushing to the shade of a tomato, or at least the inside of a ripe watermelon.

Kurt undid a few buttons before taking another step forward and sliding the shirt down over Blaine's head and raising arms.

"It's easier if you just undo a few buttons and slide it on," explained Kurt, straightening the shirt over Blaine's shoulders.

With slightly trembling fingers, Kurt did up the buttons of the shirt, straightened the shirt's collar, and then passed Blaine the purple shirt. Blaine put the shirt on over top while Kurt went back to his closet to look for a bowtie.

"Well," said Kurt, looking Blaine over a few minutes later. "That's how Kurt does hipster. You look good and ridiculous at the same time, so, I hope it'll pass."

Blaine followed Kurt to the apartment door and stood silently while Kurt fished through the entry closet for a pair of dress shoes he thought would complete the ensemble perfectly. Kurt handed them to Blaine and then stepped into the kitchen to grab his thermos of coffee before he slipped on his own shoes.

"Now, to the college," he said, grabbing his book bag once they were both shod.

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><p><em>AN Sorry the first chapter is so short... please bear with me, guys... :p_


	3. Chapter 2

****Title:**** Why I Feel This Way**  
><strong>Pairings<strong>: **Kurt/Blaine**  
><strong>Rating<strong>: **R**  
><strong>Warnings:<strong> **Pet!Blaine (_and all that pertains to that_)**  
><strong>Note<strong>: **This story is the SEQUEL to Man's Best Friend

* * *

><p><strong><em>Chapter Two<br>_**

* * *

><p>Half an hour later, Kurt found himself leading Blaine into his college through the large front doors. The hallways were alive with movement, but it wasn't nearly as crowded or busy as Kurt was used to. Still, it was busy enough that Blaine was keeping close to Kurt, eyes darting wildly around at his new surroundings. They walked down the hall, past a large faux Greek statue, up a flight of stairs, down another hall, past a few empty classrooms, and down one more hall before they reached the office that was Kurt's destination.<p>

It had a large window next to the door and Kurt could see that his professor was sitting at his large, messy desk. The hallway upstairs was quiet with no students roaming the halls. There was a small alcove directly across the hall from the office, so Kurt directed Blaine to sit on the built-in bench seat. The alcove looked out over the college's outdoor courtyard.

"Stay," said Kurt, firmly, giving Blaine a serious look.

Blaine looked away from the window and up at Kurt, his big, nervous hazel eyes caused Kurt to soften and smile.

"I'll be back in a few minutes," explained Kurt. "Stay here, okay? Stay."

With that, Kurt turned around and crossed the hallway. He knocked on the office door before glancing back at Blaine who had shifted down the bench to be closer to the window that looked outside. He was peering out it with interest. Kurt smiled slightly. A muffled 'come in' reached his ears and he reached for the door handle to let himself in.

"Kurt!" proclaimed the man looking up from his desk as Kurt entered the room. "How are things?"

"Good, now, Sir," replied Kurt with a smile.

"Excellent," he replied, leaning back in his chair and motioning for Kurt to take a seat.

Kurt sat down in one of the two chairs in front of his desk.

"So, I'm assuming you're here to beg for a chance to do your final test seeing as you missed it," he spoke, his eyes dancing with mischief.

"Yes," laughed Kurt; he had always liked Mr. Gabriner even if most people complained the professor was something of an eccentric. "I'm not sure the protocol for something like this. I don't have a doctor's note or anything, but I could get my father to call you for confirmation?"

"Nonsense," replied Mr. Gabriner with a flip of his hand. "Perhaps if you were one of my other students, but you've done nothing but take my class seriously all semester. If you had some sort of family emergency and had to go, I believe you."

"Thank you, sir," stuttered Kurt, biting his lip as guilt washed over him.

It wasn't a family emergency, which made Kurt feel guilty. The truth wouldn't make sense and definitely wasn't something he wanted to start telling people, so, calling it a family emergency seemed the best idea. Kurt pushed the feeling of guilt out of his mind, it had been important and it couldn't wait.

"So," said Kurt after a few moments of silence where his professor had given him a funny look. "Can I schedule a time to take the test?"

"Ahh, yes," replied Mr. Gabriner, shuffling a few items around on his desk before finding his day planner. "How about Thursday morning? That should give you some time to regroup after your busy weekend and get a bit of refresher studying in. Yes?"

"Thank you," said Kurt. "That'd be perfect."

"Alright," spoke Mr. Gabriner, nodding to himself as he wrote it down in his schedule. "Thursday morning, 9 am, be here or be failed."

He looked up and winked at Kurt after saying the last part causing Kurt to playfully roll his eyes.

"I'll be here," confirmed Kurt moving to stand.

He reached out a hand for a handshake which the sandy-haired professor happily took.

"Kurt," he said as he stood to see Kurt to the door. "Not that this will mean anything to you because I know you're an honest student, but, I'll be giving you a different test than your classmates. So, don't go asking any of them for all the multiple choice answers or anything."

"Thanks for the heads up," laughed Kurt as he reached to open the office door.

"Who's that?" asked Mr. Gabriner, peering out his office window.

Kurt followed his gaze to see he was looking at Blaine who was obediently waiting in the alcove.

"That's..." started Kurt, suddenly feeling nervous. "That's Blaine."

"Boyfriend?" asked his prof with an arched eyebrow and small grin.

"No," laughed Kurt, though he felt a bite of irritation over the thought. "No... he's... he's a friend."

"I haven't seen him before, what's he taking?" asked Mr. Gabriner making Kurt wonder at his curiosity over the matter.

"Nothing," answered Kurt suddenly feeling possessive of the dark-haired boy –no, young man. "He's a friend from back in Ohio; he came out with me when I came home from the whole... family emergency thing."

"Ahh," said Mr. Gabriner with a nod of understanding, but still not taking his eyes off Blaine. "Supportive friend, gotcha."

"Yeah," replied Kurt. "He doesn't go to college... he... he... didn't even graduate from high school."

He had hoped saying that would instantly turn his professor off of Blaine, but to his horror, the statement caused Mr. Gabriner to turn to Kurt in surprise.

"Really?" he exclaimed, intrigue written across his face. "Shame, he looks quite intelligent."

"What?" stuttered Kurt.

"His eyes," replied Mr. Gabriner with a shrug as he turned back to look out the office window. "Curious eyes... intelligent people have curious eyes."

Not knowing if he should laugh or cry, Kurt just shook his head and smiled.

"I'll see you Thursday, Mr. Gabriner," said Kurt. "Thank you."

"See you then," replied his prof, still distracted by Blaine.

Kurt stepped out of the office, hitched his bag over his shoulder and shut the door behind him.

"Well," said Kurt when he reached Blaine's side. "That was unnerving."

Blaine looked up when Kurt spoke and gave him a bright smile as if to say he was happy and possibly relieved Kurt was back. Kurt couldn't help but smile back; he had missed that smile so much.

"I have two more stops and then we can get out of here," informed Kurt as he reached for Blaine's hand.

He felt Mr. Gabriner's inquisitive eyes on them as Blaine took his hand and moved to walk close to him as they left, but he didn't dare glance over at the office window.

* * *

><p>After dropping off his two final assignments with two of his other professors, Kurt led Blaine out of the college and hailed a taxi. He decided to splurge on the taxi instead of stressing Blaine out any more than he had to with public transit.<p>

"Okay," sighed out Kurt, stepping out of the taxi in front of a large clothing store. "This is really embarrassing, but, my budget isn't near what it was the last time I took you shopping and we're starting from scratch."

Blaine got out of the taxi, listening to Kurt's words but not taking in their meaning. He stood nervously on the sidewalk as Kurt paid the taxi driver. Once the taxi driver sped off back into the swarming traffic of the busy city street, Kurt turned to Blaine.

"Old Navy," he admitted with a little deflation of his stance. "Worse than _the Gap_! But, perhaps we'll find some nice things there. Finn says it isn't all bad, but, he _is _Finn, so..."

Kurt shrugged and nodded his head toward the front doors of the brightly lit store.

"I just hope no one I know sees me," Kurt muttered to himself as he and Blaine walked into the store.

He winced at the silly family of bright mannequins, complete with plastic family dog, standing at the front of the store. They were dressed in the store's new line of summer clothing. Kurt went left toward what looked to be the men's section of the store, Blaine at his heels.

Kurt raised an eyebrow at the military style jackets, shawl-collared hooded sweaters, and stylish jeans on display near the front –they didn't look half bad. A navy blue sweater with toggles caught his attention and he made a noise of approval in the back of his throat.

"AUGH," exclaimed Kurt in disgust when he ran his fingers over the sleeve of the sweater. "Such poor quality! I bet it will lose its shape with one wash."

Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath in through his nose, Kurt tried to calm himself.

"Let's... let's go check out the sale section," he said to Blaine who was giving him a confused look. "I'm not paying full price for anything this _cheap_."

Just over an hour later, they left the store with two large bags which Kurt made Blaine carry because there was no way he was going to be seen walking the streets of New York City carrying an Old Navy shopping bag. He had purchased a few pairs of jeans, a sweater he had deemed 'not terrible', a few graphic t-shirts, a few polos, a few long-sleeve button-up shirts, a few packs of socks and underwear, a cute cardigan that he knew would probably lose shape with a few washes and wears but couldn't help himself once he had seen it on Blaine, and a pair of bright red trousers that Blaine had picked out and Kurt just couldn't say '_no'_ when flashed the '_puppy-dog eyes'_.

Having Blaine choose an article of clothing for himself had left Kurt grinning like an idiot, even if the pants were ridiculous. It reminded Kurt of the day at the mall back in high school when Blaine had wanted pickles on his pita... small successes.

They walked along the sidewalk together until they came across a clothing store that Kurt deemed a few good steps up from Old Navy.

"You need at least one or two outfits that aren't a travesty of poor workmanship and cheap fabrics," said Kurt as he opened the front door of the store. "Even if it means we don't eat out this month."

Blaine was looking weary, so Kurt was quick to grab just a few choice items for Blaine to try on. They left soon after with a pair of charcoal dress pants, a pair of dark-olive chino trousers, two dress shirts, a pair of black driving loafers and a black leather belt with a trendy silver buckle.

Kurt sighed sadly as he looked at the receipt in his hand.

"This is the most clothing I have ever purchased for this amount of money," said Kurt, gesturing to the bags he and Blaine were carrying. "But, the amount of money I just spent is making me feel sick to my stomach."

Blaine shifted his bags in his hands so that his hand nearest Kurt was free from holding anything. Kurt looked over at Blaine in confusion when he felt Blaine's fingers bump against his own. Blaine smiled nervously and pressed his hand into Kurt's. Money and budget woes forgotten, Kurt smiled back and laced their fingers together.

* * *

><p>They arrived home after a quick stop at a drug store to pick up a toothbrush, some razors and a few other items for Blaine. It was a few hours after noon and they were both half-starved when they entered the apartment.<p>

"Hi, boys!" called out Rachel from the living room when they arrived.

She approached the door to greet them and upon seeing the bags Blaine was carrying, immediately gave Kurt a startled but amused look.

"Don't say anything," warned Kurt with a dramatic groan. "I've withstood enough torture today."

"I can _see_ that," laughed Rachel, looking back down at the large Old Navy bags and giggling.

"Well, it isn't like I can afford to create an entire new wardrobe on my budget for someone with McQueen, Prada and Gucci..." trailed off Kurt with a frustrated sigh. "I don't even know how I'm going to afford my share of groceries this month between all the new clothes I just bought and the gas to go get him."

"Don't worry about it, Kurt," replied Rachel patting him on the shoulder. "I can cover your share of the groceries this month if need be."

"You don't have to do that," argued Kurt with a sad smile. "Especially since there's a third mouth, now."

"Just for this month," said Rachel with a final pat on the shoulder before she headed back to the living room to whatever show she had been watching. "After that, no more _charity_," she finished with a wink.

Kurt smiled and rolled his eyes.

"Thanks, Rachel," he called after her before directing Blaine to his bedroom.

He set the bags he was carrying on his bed and Blaine, following his direction, did the same. Kurt pulled open his closet and pushed a few items to the side.

"Okay, time to unpack the goods," said Kurt, flashing a teasing grin in Blaine's direction. "I'm giving you room in my closet _and_ my dresser, you need to realize the gravity of this."

* * *

><p>"Good morning, Kurt," greeted Mr. Gabriner with warm enthusiasm on Thursday morning.<p>

It was just a few minutes before 9 am when Kurt knocked on his office door, ready to take his final exam. The past few days had flown by while Kurt attempted studying for his exam while being mostly distracted by Blaine. It wasn't that Blaine was particularly distracting in his actions; it was more Kurt's thoughts and emotions on the subject that were distracting.

Blaine seemed content to sit quietly by himself in the living room when not called on. Sometimes he would watch the city street out the window, but mostly he would just sit and stare into space lost in his own mind. Kurt wondered what Blaine thought about, and how he could just sit there so content and alone without going completely insane. Sometimes Kurt would turn on the TV for Blaine, but Blaine never seemed overly interested in anything that was on.

The old Blaine would have sought out company, not enjoying spending so much time alone. This new Blaine, however, didn't seem interested in Kurt's company if Kurt wasn't outright offering it.

He had Blaine help him prepare some of the meals, and sat with him on the couch to watch television when he was taking breaks from studying, but, for the most part, Kurt left him alone. He hoped it wouldn't be long before Blaine 'snapped out of it' and began acting more like the Blaine Kurt remembered.

"Good morning, Mr. Gabriner," answered Kurt with a smile, forcing himself to stop thinking of Blaine and happy that Rachel was home that morning so he wouldn't be alone while Kurt was taking his exam.

"Ready for your big test?" he asked with a teasing smile.

"I sure hope so," replied Kurt huffing out a sigh.

"Great," answered Mr. Gabriner distractedly as he pulled a folder out of his desk. He opened it and pulled a few sheets out paper out, handing them to Kurt. "You have two hours. The multiple choice questions are worth half and the other half is the essay. You can sit out at that table in the alcove your friend was sitting in the other day."

Mr. Gabriner motioned with his hand to point at the built in booth seat and table across the hallway.

"Blaine, right?" he asked.

"Sorry, what?" stuttered Kurt.

"Your friend that was here the other day," said Mr. Gabriner. "His name was Blaine, right?"

"Oh, yeah... yes," confirmed Kurt with a quick nod.

"He back in Ohio, now?" asked Mr. Gabriner conversationally.

"No, no, he's going to be staying with me for a while," replied Kurt, wondering why his professor was asking.

"Wasn't really a _family_ emergency, was it?" asked Mr. Gabriner with a knowing smile.

"Well," stammered Kurt, cheeks flushing with guilt at being caught. "Blaine's like family."

"I get it," replied Mr. Gabriner, leaning back in his seat. "I've had friends who were more family than my family. How does he like New York?"

"I think he's a little overwhelmed," answered Kurt honestly.

"Yeah," replied Mr. Gabriner, looking thoughtful. "You sure you two are just friends?"

"What?" exclaimed Kurt, almost choking on the word.

"He seemed to be really thrilled at your presence for being just a friend," supplied Mr. Gabriner with a laugh and a shrug. "I wasn't meaning to spy; I just have this really big window."

"Uh huh," Kurt narrowed his eyes.

"There's a story here," mused Mr. Gabriner before leaning forward in his seat and propping himself up on his desk. He looked across at Kurt and gave him a mischievous grin. "I love stories."

"Okay, well," started Kurt, feeling uneasy. "I'm just going to... go take this test, now."

"Right," said Mr. Gabriner seeming to come out of whatever deep thoughts he was thinking.


	4. Chapter 3

****Title:**** Why I Feel This Way**  
><strong>Pairings<strong>: **Kurt/Blaine**  
><strong>Rating<strong>: **R**  
><strong>Warnings:<strong> **Pet!Blaine (_and all that pertains to that_)**  
><strong>Note<strong>: **This story is the SEQUEL to Man's Best Friend

* * *

><p><strong><em>Chapter Three<br>_**

* * *

><p>Late that night Kurt was awoken by the loud crash of thunder. Eyes flying open and breath caught in his throat by the sudden noise, Kurt jerked his head sideways on his pillow to look at his clock. It was only just after midnight. He hadn't been sleeping long. The rain was pouring down outside his apartment window like the sound a waterfall. Lightning flashed through his closed blinds only to be followed seconds later by another crash of thunder. Kurt sighed and closed his eyes hoping the abrupt awakening wasn't enough to have him wide awake for hours. He let himself drift, ignoring the thunder booming outside his room when suddenly his eyes shot open again.<p>

"Blaine," he whispered to himself before sitting up straight in his bed.

Throwing his blankets back, Kurt got out of bed and tiptoed out of his room and down the hall. He could hear Rachel's soft snores coming from her room as he crept past the door that was left slightly ajar. He snickered softly to himself remembering how adamantly Rachel argued that she _did not_ snore after one of their first slumber parties back in high school. He had considered videotaping her sleeping more than once since moving in with her but decided it would bring ill-fortune to anger her in such a way.

Kurt stepped past the alley kitchen and stopped at the beginning of the carpet of the living room. Blaine was curled up in the rocking chair wrapped tightly in his blanket. He was rocking back and forth and shivering. How many times had Blaine had to weather a thunderstorm all by himself while he was living at the tasking farm? A lump rose in Kurt's throat at the sudden thought.

"Blaine?" he whispered, forcing his voice not to shudder with his sudden emotion.

Blaine stopped rocking at the sound of his name. Slowly, he lifted his head up from his arms and looked across the room, quickly finding Kurt's figure in the dark.

"Are you alright?" asked Kurt.

He wanted so desperately to stride across the room and gather Blaine in his arms. He wanted to feel Blaine press his face into his chest and let out a soft shuddering sigh at finding comfort in Kurt. He wanted to take him back to his room and hold him close until they both fell asleep tangled together. Kurt did none of those things, though. Instead, he sat down on the couch a few feet away from the chair Blaine was curled up in and softly hummed what he hoped was a soothing tune.

At the sound of Kurt's voice (or was it just his presence?) Blaine stopped his nervous rocking and lifted his head a little to peek out at Kurt. Humming a little bit louder, Kurt began to turn the hum into an actual song. It was a lullaby his mother sang to him when he was a small child. Kurt could see Blaine's shoulders physically relax as he softly sang the lullaby over and over. Lightning flashed through the living room curtains and thunder boomed and echoed through the apartment, but Blaine stayed still and just listened to Kurt's song.

Kurt wasn't sure how long he sang to Blaine or who of them had fallen asleep first, but he woke up to the sounds of Rachel puttering around in the kitchen only a few week away. She was doing her best to keep quiet, not even doing her usual morning ballads. He blinked open his eyes and practically hissed like an angry cat at the bright sunlight shifting in through the open curtains. Rachel must have opened them when she had gotten up that morning, probably before noticing the two young men sleeping in the living room.

Stiff shoulders and back, Kurt pulled himself up off the couch, glancing over to see Blaine was still deep in sleep, wrapped up in his blanket. Groggily, Kurt walked into the kitchen.

"Good Morning," sing-songed Rachel as Kurt came into her view.

"Morning, Rachel," sighed Kurt, rubbing a hand over his face.

"You slept on the couch last night," Rachel needlessly informed him.

"That I did," confirmed Kurt with a nod, too sleep-slow for sarcasm.

"Blaine scared of thunderstorms?" she ventured to ask.

"Yes," answered Kurt, opening a cabinet door and picking up a mug.

"Well, that would have been a good opportunity to invite him into your bed," said Rachel from where she was chopping a green pepper.

"What?" stuttered Kurt, turning to look at her.

Rachel set the knife down and turned to face Kurt.

"I thought you two were... _lovers_ or something," she said, giving Kurt a strange look. "But he's been on the couch every night since he's arrived. I'm just... trying to understand. Are things awkward because I'm here?"

"No," sighed Kurt. "No, it's nothing to do with you."

Kurt stopped turned from her, then, not wanting to meet her eyes. He poured some of the coffee into his mug and took a moment to inhale the bitter scent wafting up with the steam from his mug.

"I think..." started Kurt, feeling a little choked as sudden emotion began to take over. "I think he might have... during the time we were apart... I think he might have..."

Stopping speaking to try to avoid letting out a sob that managed to form out of nowhere, Kurt turned back to Rachel and frowned sadly at her. She returned the expression but with a hint of confusion.

"...stopped loving me," sighed Kurt, finally.

"Oh, Hun," exclaimed Rachel, throwing her arms around Kurt and hugging him tight.

"It doesn't matter, it doesn't matter," Kurt said turning away from Rachel and leaning against the counter. "The important thing is that Blaine has a home and that he is safe... that's... that's all that matters."

Rachel stared at Kurt's tense back for a few moments, a sympathetic frown on her face. She turned back to the opposite counter to continue her breakfast preparations when Kurt finally straightened and pushed away from the counter. Without a word, he walked out of the kitchen and sat down at the dining table, coffee mug in hand.

He sat in melancholy silence, slowly sipping his coffee. Rachel moved around in the kitchen, chopping mushrooms and broccoli to go with the green pepper, and gathering all the other ingredients. Kurt winced at the loud whir of the food processor and glanced over at Blaine who was still sound-asleep in the living room. A few minutes later, Rachel appeared with a mug of tea and sat down across from Kurt at their small dining table.

"This could be a good thing," she said timidly, not making eye contact with Kurt.

Kurt set down his mug and gave her a quizzical look.

"Blaine is a sweetie and I'll support you no matter who you choose to love, Kurt," said Rachel from behind her mug of tea.

"Okay," replied Kurt slowly, wondering where she was going with her train of thought and feeling a little uneasy.

"I know you, Kurt," exhaled Rachel, finally looking Kurt in the eye. "I know you're a hopeless romantic just like myself."

Kurt cocked an eyebrow at her and she rolled her eyes in response.

"You and I," stated Rachel. "We are very similar people."

"Now you're just trying to offend me," laughed Kurt humorlessly.

"You deserve an _epic_ romance, Kurt," explained Rachel, ignoring his snappy commentary because she _knew_ him and she knew that he only said things like that when he was anxious or uncomfortable. "You deserve to love and be loved by someone who can give you that. Blaine can't sing you heartfelt love songs, or give you surprise visits at work, or candlelight dinners, or trips to Paris... Kurt, Blaine can't even say 'I Love You'."

Kurt tightened his jaw in annoyance, but looked like he was mulling over her words.

"You're strong, Kurt," continued Rachel, smiling sadly at him. "Like me. We're strong, driven people who can do whatever we set our minds to. If you really want to be this with Blaine, do it. I know that if anyone could handle a one-sided romance, it would be you... or me, but I'd rather not have to."

"One-sided Romance," Kurt repeated staring down at his mug with a look on his face that was difficult to interpret.

Rachel assumed the reason his expression was so hard to interpret was probably because Kurt didn't even know how he felt, because Rachel prided herself on knowing all of her roommates' expressions. She studied his face as he stared down at his coffee and wondered at the mixture of anger and hurt on his expressive features.

"I think he still loves you, by the way," she said after the silence had stretched out between them for what she felt was too long.

Kurt looked up at her, then, a confused look on his face.

"Perhaps he's scared because of what happened last time," she said with a shrug. "Or perhaps... perhaps he doesn't know how to act around you because of the amount of time that has passed. I can see it in his eyes when he looks at you, though."

"See what?" croaked Kurt.

"That you're the sun and the moon and the stars," said Rachel, trying for a dramatic tone but laughing partway through.

Kurt rolled his eyes but a small smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. Rachel smiled back at him and opened her mouth to say more but closed it again when a beep sounded from the kitchen. She held out a finger to Kurt as if to say '_give me_ _one minute_' before standing and quickly moving to the oven to take breakfast out of the oven. Kurt closed his eyes and sniffed appreciatively at the air when the scent of whatever Rachel had just pulled out of the oven filled the room.

"Vegan Broccoli Breakfast Quiche," said Rachel, proudly, as she rejoined Kurt at the table. "I think you'll like this recipe."

"It smells good," offered Kurt with a nod.

"So, I don't think you have to worry about Blaine no longer caring for you, Kurt," said Rachel, diving back in to their previous conversation. "But, I do think that this is your chance at an '_out_'. I think you should really think seriously about it, too. I know you care about Blaine and you've waited faithfully for so long, but you really need to think about this. Is this something you want? Is this something you can handle? Is this something you'll still want years down the road? Think about Blaine's limits and think about what you want from a relationship. Think about what you want for your future. Blaine is going to be completely dependent on you and he also isn't going to be able to just move on with his life if things between you ever ended. You have to think about what is most fair to you and what is most fair to Blaine... before you start anything up with him again, you have to be sure."

Kurt let out a long, low breath. He closed his eyes and nodded at Rachel. She was right. It was surprising, but she was right about everything.

"I don't know what I'm doing," confessed Kurt in a small voice just above a whisper.

Rachel clicked her tongue against her teeth and gave Kurt a sympathetic smile. She reached across the table and squeezed his hand.

"You'll figure it out," she said before standing up and clapping her hands together. "Now, let's try that quiche!"

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's Note:<strong> Okay, so, I really wanted my chapters to be around 3000-4000 chapters on average (just like they were with Man's Best Friend) but these ones keep ending up shorter. This one just felt like it should end here... I was going to sit on this one a bit longer until I could figure out how to segue into the next scene without it being too disjointed, But I figured you'd appreciate an update sooner than later. So, another short chapter... my apologies._


	5. Chapter 4

****Title:**** Why I Feel This Way**  
><strong>Pairings<strong>: **Kurt/Blaine**  
><strong>Rating<strong>: **R**  
><strong>Warnings:<strong> **Pet!Blaine (_and all that pertains to that_)**  
><strong>Note<strong>: **This story is the SEQUEL to Man's Best Friend

* * *

><p><strong><em>Chapter Four<br>_**

* * *

><p>"Rachel?" called out Kurt from down the hall.<p>

"Yes, Kurt?" Rachel called back from where she was finishing up washing dishes in the kitchen.

A moment later, Kurt stuck his head around the corner. Blaine was sitting alone at the dining table finishing his share of the breakfast quiche and Rachel was just pulling the plug from the sink to drain the dishwater.

"Do you have plans this morning?" asked Kurt, taking a step into the kitchen.

"I'll be home," replied Rachel. "I have an audition later in the afternoon, but I'll be home all morning."

"Audition?" questioned Kurt. "You mean job interview, right?"

Rachel smiled guiltily at Kurt and pulled a dish towel from a drawer.

"We promised we'd get summer jobs before trying out for anything," sighed Kurt, hands on hips and frustration written across his face.

"It'll be fine, Kurt," said Rachel with a flip of her hand.

"Okay, okay, anyway," continued Kurt, begrudgingly. "Unlike _some people_, I'm keeping with the plan and have two job interviews this morning. I was hoping I could leave Blaine home with you."

"As long as you are back well before two," replied Rachel with a nod as she dried the dishes she had just washed. She raised her voice a little, turning her head toward the dining room. "We'll have a great time together, won't we, Blaine?"

Blaine looked up from his plate at the mention of his name, giving Rachel and Kurt a quizzical look.

"Thank you so much, Rachel," said Kurt.

"Don't worry about it," answered Rachel with a shrug of her shoulders.

"Okay," started Kurt with a resolved nod to himself. "I have to go finish getting ready."

* * *

><p>It was only about twenty minutes later when Kurt was ready to leave the apartment for his job interview. Rachel was sitting on the couch next to Blaine and chattering away to him, obviously enjoying having one of her usual one-sided conversations with someone who definitely wouldn't interrupt. Kurt chuckled softly to himself, shooting Blaine an empathetic look before stepping into the entry to slip on his shoes and jacket before leaving.<p>

"I'm going," he called out to the apartment's other occupants. "See you in a few hours."

"Good luck, Kurt," called back Rachel before she was diving back into where she had left off in her ranting and ravings.

Kurt's finger hovered over the buttons when he got onto the apartment elevator as he contemplated taking his Navigator or not. He finally decided against it, knowing better how long it would take him to get places by foot and subway more accurately; traffic jams and parking spots were unpredictable.

He had no experience in retail, but was hoping the fact that he was currently enrolled in a local college for Fashion Design and the professor from his Fashion Industry class had written him a letter of recommendation would be enough to win over the managers at both Bergdorf Goodman and Dooney & Bourke. The fact that he even had interviews at either of these stores had him absolutely over the moon and weak in the knees at the same time. Being well-liked by his professors seemed to be working out well for him.

Kurt pulled out his cell phone to check the time as he stepped out of his apartment's front doors onto the busy sidewalk. He had just over an hour to get to Bergdorf Goodman down on Fifth Avenue. Kurt started out at a brisk pace as he headed toward the subway.

He was trotting down the concrete stairs, through the throngs of people headed to their jobs, when he faintly heard his cell phone ringing in the pocket of his jacket. Not breaking stride, Kurt pulled it from his pocket and glanced at the caller ID to decide whether to take the call. It was his dad.

"Dad?" asked Kurt into the cell phone, pressing his fingertips to his other ear to block out the city noise.

"Hey Kiddo," came the warm voice of his father. "Is this a bad time?"

"Well," started Kurt, as he quickly side-stepped around a tourist couple who were blocking his way. "I'm headed to a job interview."

"I'll be quick, then," sounded Burt's voice. "Finn's not going to be able to visit you and Rachel next weekend, but we were hoping you could come this way. You could drive the SUV out yourself and we'll pay for your plane ticket back."

"Uh," stuttered Kurt, as he worked his way to the subway. "I don't know if that'll work, Dad, but I'll call you back after my interview and we'll work out the details."

"Alright, good luck, son," said Burt.

"Thanks, Dad. Bye," replied Kurt before closing his cell and putting it back into his pocket.

He counted himself lucky when he found an empty seat. Pulling out his resume and letter of recommendation from his professor, Kurt tried to do a little last minute mental preparations before he arrived.

* * *

><p>It was 11:30 in the morning when Kurt stepped out of the large, wooden doors of Bergdorf Goodman after his interview in the large department store. His next interview was at 11:45. He was cutting it close, but Dooney &amp; Bourke was within walking distance. As he began walking down the crowded sidewalk, he heard his cell phone beep in his pocket. Pulling it out, he saw a text message from Rachel.<p>

**How was the interview?**

Kurt typed in a response while expertly dodging other pedestrians.

**I think it went well. I'm headed to the second one now.**

Kurt crossed the road with the crowd and continued his hurried stroll down the sidewalk. His phone beeped again with a new text from Rachel.

**Where?**

Letting out an exasperated sigh, Kurt called Rachel's cell.

"Hi!" sounded Rachel's enthusiastic greeting after only the first ring.

"Did you need something?" asked Kurt, shortly.

"No, I was just wondering where you were," came Rachel's chipper reply.

"Dooney & Bourke," replied Kurt.

"Oh! By Central Park?" asked Rachel, excitedly. "That's perfect!"

"Yes..." replied Kurt.

Rachel was quiet, then, and Kurt could faintly hear something like paper shuffling around in the background.

"Why don't Blaine and I meet you for lunch at Gene's Coffee Shop, then?" suggested Rachel a few moments later.

"Gene's Coffee Shop?" asked Kurt.

"If you get the job, I guarantee that you'll become intimately acquainted with Gene's," replied Rachel with a laugh. "Anyway, they bumped up my audition an hour and, thankfully, you're not far from the location. I'll meet you at Gene's and we can eat and you can take Blaine."

"Alright," answered Kurt, sighing in relief as the red window coverings of Dooney & Bourke came into view. "I'll see you in a while."

"Tata for now," giggled Rachel in good humor.

Kurt smiled and rolled his eyes. He shut off his phone before stepping into the beautifully lit retail store. Walking up to the cashier desk, he told the thin woman that he had an appointment for a job interview. She nodded wordlessly and had him follow her to a back room. Kurt followed her, chin lifted and mask of confidence well in place.

* * *

><p>Kurt shot off a quick text to Rachel to let her know that he was finished his interview and headed to the coffee shop. Just as he was walking in the front door, his phone beeped with a response telling him they were already there. He looked around the little restaurant until he recognized Rachel and the back of Blaine's head at a table just a row over.<p>

"That was a long interview," said Rachel, smiling up at Kurt when he approached. "I would expect that's a good sign."

Kurt shrugged at hurt, turning to smile at Blaine in greeting.

"Neither of the stores offered me a job on the spot," replied Kurt. "I don't necessarily blame them, I mean; I doubt my previous job of working at Hummel Tire and Auto is exactly the best prerequisite for working in a high end retail store."

"Well, you look the part," offered Rachel, eying Kurt's caramel satchel Portofino collection bag with interest.

"You don't think it looks like I'm trying too hard?" asked Kurt glancing down at the bag over his shoulder bearing the tell-tale duck logo pressed into the soft leather on the top flap.

"It would be worse to show up with a bag of a different designer, I would think," replied Rachel with a shrug before taking a sip of her coffee.

"Is that a _vegan_ latte?" asked Kurt eyeing Rachel's drink with a raised eyebrow.

Rachel squirmed in her seat, frowning and blushing slightly.

"Don't answer that," replied Kurt with mock irritation. "I want to be able to look at you without disgust."

"You're _so_ funny," grumbled Rachel, setting her drink down and glaring at it.

Kurt slid into the seat next to Blaine, bumping his thigh against Blaine's just as Blaine started to move over to give Kurt more space to sit. Kurt grinned at the contact and patted Blaine's knee. He was surprised when he noticed a small flush of colour rise on Blaine's cheeks and wondered if he was just imagining things.

"What did your order Blaine?" he asked, peering curiously into Blaine's mug.

"A Medium drip," replied Rachel with a shrug.

"Why?" questioned Kurt.

"I don't know what he likes and he wasn't about to tell me," answered Rachel with a second shrug. "It seemed like a pretty safe coffee order."

Kurt glanced back at Blaine's cup, then, wondering if Blaine actually liked the drink. It was half finished, so, perhaps he did. A few moments later a waitress arrived at their table and asked if they were ready to order their lunch now. Kurt quickly picked up the sheet of laminated paper from the table that was the coffee house's lunch menu and scanned it over while Rachel ordered her meal. It always took her so long to order anything at regular restaurants because of the amount of questions she asked, that Kurt figured he had time to pick something.

"... and the vegetable soup," continued Rachel as Kurt looked up from the menu, having chosen something that looked decent. "Is it made with chicken stock or...?"

"No stocks," answered the waitress, politely. "They start by frying onions and red pepper seeds in olive oil and then add water and stewed tomatoes. And they boil the rest of the vegetables and beans in that."

"Wonderful," replied Rachel with a bright smile. "I'll have the salad _without_ the feta cheese and the vegetable soup. Thank you for your help!"

"No problem at all," said the waitress with a smile. "We get a lot of vegetarians in here."

"I'll have the turkey sandwich and garden salad with the Italian dressing," said Kurt when the waitress looked over at him. "And... he'll... uh... have the same... but with fries instead of salad. Oh and can I get a non-fat Mocha?"

"Fries?" questioned Rachel once the waitress had gone.

"He likes fries," replied Kurt with a shrug of his shoulders. "Or at least, he used to."

"Kurt Hummel ordering fries," laughed Rachel, shaking her head and leaning back in her booth seat. "And _without_ a gun to his head. You must really love him."

"Oh, shut up," snapped Kurt, rolling his eyes and grinning playfully at her.

* * *

><p>Rachel was first to leave after their lunch at the coffee shop, kissing both Kurt and Blaine on the cheeks before rushing off to her audition. Blaine had hungrily eaten his lunch, seeming to have enjoyed what Kurt had ordered for him. They sat side by side as Kurt sipped the remains of his coffee and Blaine poked at the few fries he hadn't finished.<p>

After eyeing Blaine's fries for a few minutes, Kurt finally reached and stole one. Laughing at Blaine's widened eyes; Kurt popped it in his mouth before Blaine could protest. Grumbling, Blaine pushed Kurt with his shoulder before pulling his plate closer to himself.

"I have an idea," said Kurt after chewing and swallowing. "Before we head home, we should walk over to Central Park. The Pond isn't far from here. I think you'll like it."

After finishing the last of his coffee, Kurt picked up the receipt from their meal to take to the front so he could pay the bill. Blaine quickly stuffed the last three fries on his plate into his mouth like a chipmunk before getting up to follow. Once Kurt had paid, he took Blaine's hand and they left the coffee shop together.

The way Blaine looked around the busy streets reminded Kurt a little of the day they had worked at the auto shop with his dad. They had walked together to a cafe down the road from the shop for lunch and Blaine had been absolutely mesmerised by the busy surroundings. This, however, was nothing like one of the main streets of Lima, though Blaine definitely seemed just as shocked by and curious of it.

They walked the block and a half down 60th street before crossing the busy 5th avenue and making their way into Central Park. Kurt had to tug on Blaine's hand to get him to cross the street more quickly when his attention had been caught by a horse pulling a carriage.

"C'mon, silly," grit out Kurt in amusement as he silently made note to one day take Blaine on a carriage ride. As silly as he knew it would feel, he figured Blaine would enjoy it. "You can't stop in the middle of the street to stare."

They walked down a broad path, filled with tourists and locals alike, through the large trees. It wasn't but a few brisk strides before the edge of The Pond came into view. They walked along the paved trail that followed the edge of the water for a while, Blaine looking around with eyes sparkling. Looking at Blaine, Kurt couldn't help but think of the times he had walked Blaine to the playground at the end of their street back in Lima.

Kurt directed them to a bench that looked over the water when he saw a vacant one. They sat together for a few minutes. Blaine's head was on a permanent swivel watching the birds on the water, a group of young people playing Frisbee, a couple rollerblade by on the paved trail, and a squirrel running up and down nearby trees.

After a little while Kurt pulled out his cell deciding to call his father like he had promised.

"Hey, Kiddo," came his father's voice after a few rings. "How was the interview?"

"They said they'd give me a call," replied Kurt with a sigh.

"I know in Lima that usually means 'no', but it might be different in such a big city," tried Burt.

"I hope so," sighed Kurt. "I don't exactly have the best resume at the moment."

"Everyone's gotta start somewhere," replied Burt and Kurt could imagine him absently shrugging his shoulders in the way he often did. "So, what do you think about next weekend?"

"I don't know, Dad," said Kurt, sadly. "I don't feel like I can even handle the cost of gas to drive out there, right now."

"Things are that tight, huh?" asked Burt.

"You were right about Blaine," sighed Kurt. "I don't know how I'm going to afford to take care of a _pet_ while I'm going to college in New York City."

"Kurt," said Burt in a tense tone that caused Kurt to sit up straighter on the bench. "I know I haven't been very... enthusiastic about your... relationship with Blaine, but if you are going to be this with him, I would appreciate it if you didn't refer to him as your _pet_."

Kurt let out a sigh that had a mixture of sad and frustrated undertones.

"What... what's the problem, son?" asked Burt, sensing Kurt's melancholy right through the phone.

"We... we aren't... _anything_," tried Kurt, looking over at Blaine who had gotten up from the bench to get a closer look at the tree the squirrel had disappeared up.

"What do you mean?" came Burt's confused voice.

"Since getting him back," explained Kurt. "We haven't... we're just... he's not interested in me anymore and how creepy would I be if I tried to pursue this with him all on my own? I mean... AUGH... I don't know what I mean. He's not acting like he did when he lived with us, Dad. He acts like he wants to be alone and he just... I don't know. Rachel thinks this might be a good chance for me to '_get out of this'_ or something. Like I should leave it and treat him like a pet and try to find someone I can have a normal relationship with."

"What do _you_ think?" asked Burt after a short pause.

"I think... I think..." started Kurt. He sighed and pressed his fingers to the bridge of his nose, scrunching his eyes together in frustration. "I think I was stupid to hope everything would be the same between us."

"Give it some time," advised Burt. "He is dealing with a lot of changes."

"Yeah," sighed Kurt. "Thanks, Dad."

"Don't worry too much about the finances," added Burt. "Focus on getting a job and we'll help you out if you need it, okay?"

"Thanks, Dad," said Kurt again, feeling a weight lifting from his shoulders that he hadn't realized had accumulated there.

"Don't think you're getting out of visiting your old man, though," warned Burt. "I expect you to be out here to visit at some point in the next few weeks."

"Okay," laughed Kurt, standing up from the bench to go after Blaine who had wandered a little too far for his liking. "Bye, Dad."

"Love you, Kiddo," said Burt.

"Love you, too," replied Kurt before closing his cell and pocketing it.

Blaine was just picking up the Frisbee that had gotten away from the group of young adults when Kurt reached him. He threw it to one of the nearby guys. It was a little wobbly, but flew straight to the young guy who caught it expertly and yelled his thanks.

"Let's go home," said Kurt, smiling softly at Blaine.

Blaine reached for Kurt's hand instead of waiting for Kurt to grab his, and let Kurt direct him down the path to a nearby Subway station.


	6. Chapter 5

****Title:**** Why I Feel This Way**  
><strong>Pairings<strong>: **Kurt/Blaine**  
><strong>Rating<strong>: **R**  
><strong>Warnings:<strong> **Pet!Blaine (_and all that pertains to that_)**  
><strong>Note<strong>: **This story is the SEQUEL to Man's Best Friend

* * *

><p><strong><em>Chapter Five<br>_**

* * *

><p>The Subway ride home was much busier and Blaine and Kurt found themselves squished like sardines in a group of people standing in the middle of the car. Turning his nose up at the pole next to him, Kurt grimaced as he took hold of it thinking about all the other hands that had been on it just that day and frightening himself with thoughts of where else such hands could have been before touching the pole. His other hand was still encased in Blaine's whose grip had grown exponentially as they had entered the Subway.<p>

They lurched forward as the train started up. Blaine leaned toward Kurt when he recovered from his slight loss of balance. Kurt eyed a man who was standing near Blaine and looking suspicious with his hand movements, but figured Blaine had no wallet to lose, so the joke was on him. They hit a hard turn on the tracks and Blaine grabbed onto Kurt's arm with his free hand, letting out a small grunt of indignation at losing his balance. Kurt smiled tightly and let go of the pole to steady Blaine. He took Blaine's hand and placed it on the pole before wrapping his arm around Blaine's waist, ignoring the questioning look an older woman gave him from her seat.

Kurt was just beginning to allow himself to enjoy having an excuse to hold so tightly to Blaine when their stop came. With a tiny huff of indignation, Kurt let his arm fall from Blaine's waist before he tugged Blaine by their still-linked hands through the crowd of people and off of the Subway. Blaine pressed close to Kurt in the crowded station as they made their way to the concrete stairs.

* * *

><p>Kurt was ready to just sit and relax for the rest of the day when they arrived back at his apartment. Summer break must have already been getting to him if he felt so drained after that day. In college a regular day was easily twice as long and draining.<p>

"I wonder if either place will call," wondered Kurt out loud.

He pushed his shoes to the side after taking them off, hung up his jacket, and dropped his bag gently on the hall table before moving to the living room.

"They probably won't," he sighed as he plopped down on the leather couch. "I should apply at a few more places tomorrow."

Blaine stood awkwardly at the carpet line between the living room and dining room after finishing taking his shoes and coat off. Kurt looked over at him and smiled slightly, patting the couch cushion next to him.

"Want to watch some mindless television, Blaine?" he asked.

Instead of sitting beside Kurt, Blaine meandered across the room and sat down in the rocking chair next to the couch. Kurt frowned but didn't say anything. He picked up the remote control from the coffee table and switched the television on. After clicking through a few channels, he found a home decorating show that looked interesting and settled back into the couch to watch.

After watching an hour of television, Kurt handed the remote control to a drowsy Blaine and went into the kitchen. He opened the refrigerator and looked at the contents before opening a few cupboard doors to do the same. After a few minutes of contemplation, Kurt decided on what to make for supper based off of what they had in house and set to work. It had been a something of a process to get used to living and eating meals with a vegan when he first moved in with Rachel, even for a health-conscious person like himself, but now that he had been living with Rachel for a year, Kurt had grown accustomed to it.

He pulled an eggplant, red onion, and some peppers from the crisper in the fridge and set to work preparing them for the dish he had in mind. He had just put a pot of water on the stove to boil when Blaine stepped into the alley kitchen.

"Nothing good on TV?" asked Kurt, opening and cupboard door and frowning when he realized they didn't have any Ziti pasta. "I thought I had chosen a meal that we had all the ingredients for."

Seeing a box of Penne, Kurt grabbed it and set it down on the counter next to the stove.

"This will do," he said to himself before turning to look at Blaine. "Can I get you something, Blaine?"

Kurt suddenly wondered to himself why he always asked Blaine questions like that as if Blaine would answer. Maybe on some level he was hoping that if he asked Blaine enough questions, the young man would miraculously start answering them even though he knew that was ridiculous. Perhaps he was just trying to trick himself into thinking that Blaine was just a regular guy. Or perhaps it was his way of trying to make Blaine feel comfortable. Or maybe Kurt just liked to talk.

Shrugging, Kurt rolled his eyes at himself and turned back to the counter to work on the rest of his preparations for the meal. It didn't matter _why_ he did it, the fact of the matter was that it seemed to be comforting to both Blaine and himself and it wasn't hurting anything.

"I'm making Baked Ziti with Roasted Vegetables," said Kurt. "Well, actually, Baked Penne, since we have no Ziti, but it is nearly the same. Vegan, of course, since Rachel will be eating with us... I assume."

Blaine was still standing motionless when Kurt looked up at him again a few minutes later. Kurt hummed thoughtfully to himself before snapping his fingers and turning to the fridge to pull out the non-dairy mozzarella that really had no right to call itself cheese. Kurt set it on the counter before pulling out the cheese grater and motioning to Blaine to come closer.

"Why don't you grate the '_cheese_' for me if you insist on standing in my light," directed Kurt as he unwrapped the cheese and showed Blaine how he wanted the task executed."

* * *

><p>Kurt had just placed the baking dish in the oven when Rachel burst into the apartment. Blaine was standing at the sink washing dishes.<p>

"You would _not_ believe the day I've had," exclaimed Rachel, throwing her bag to the floor, kicking off her heels and rushing into the kitchen.

Kurt turned a raised eyebrow to her.

"Hi, boys," she greeted as an afterthought before rushing to the couch in the nearby living room and throwing herself to it.

Following after her, Kurt perched on the vacant space on the couch and looked over at her expectantly.

"So, as you know, they bumped up my audition time," she began as she reached behind her head to work on taking out her hair which had grown uncomfortable in its style over the course of the day. "Well, the reason they had was because a _special_ performer had asked for my timeslot because he had an important audition at another place later this afternoon."

"Okay..." drawled Kurt, looking at Rachel expectantly.

"Yes, well, the stuck-up, _special_ performer just happened to be the one and only Jesse St. James," exclaimed Rachel in annoyance.

"You're kidding," gasped Kurt in surprise.

"Not in the least," scoffed Rachel, laying a few bobby pins on the coffee table in front of them. "And he happened to show up when I was in the middle of my performance. When I was finished he offered his own critique."

Kurt huffed and rolled his eyes, easily imagining the cocky look on Jesse's face.

"Tell me about it," sighed Rachel leaning back against the couch.

Finished with the dishes, Blaine walked into the room and sat down in the rocking chair. Rachel smiled brightly at him despite her lingering frustration over her run in with her ex-boyfriend.

"Later he asked if I was seeing anyone and if I wanted to go out for drinks," said Rachel, turning back to Kurt. "As if I would want anything to do with him after everything... and especially after he said I sounded flat on my audition song!"

"He's a pompous ass," ventured Kurt. "I think tonight is a good night for movies and junk food."

"I agree on both accounts," replied Rachel with a nod and smile.

* * *

><p>They ate the supper Kurt and Blaine had prepared and placed their dirty dishes in the sink to wash another time. Blaine chose to sit in the rocking chair as Kurt sat down on the couch and waited for Rachel to choose a DVD from their alphabetized collection.<p>

"Sweeney Todd?" questioned Kurt as Rachel plunked down on the couch next to him.

"I'm in that kind of mood," replied Rachel with a shrug.

They were nearly half-way through the movie when Blaine left to use the washroom. When he returned, he sat down at Kurt's feet instead of the rocking chair. The familiar position had Kurt reaching out to run his fingers through Blaine's hair without a thought. It was only after he noticed his fingers were running over short, soft hair instead of through tangled curls that Kurt even realized what he was doing. He stilled his hand for a moment wondering why Blaine was sitting at his feet. Glancing down, Kurt saw that Blaine's eyes were closed and there was a small smile on his face. A smile of his own growing on his face, Kurt resumed stroking his fingers over Blaine's hair and went back to watching the movie.

* * *

><p>It was nearing the end of the week and Kurt still hadn't heard from Bergdorf Goodman or Dooney &amp; Bourke, he had also applied at a few other clothing stores that weren't as high-end but hadn't heard back from them either. Stressed and frustrated, Kurt had been driving Rachel crazy with his pacing and his worries over never getting a job and having to live in a cardboard box for the rest of his student career. She finally told him to go take a long bubble bath to unwind, which Kurt had agreed to with a resigned sigh.<p>

Kurt let himself sink into the almost-too-warm water of the bathtub. The old fashioned tub was his favorite part of their tiny apartment. Sure, it made showering a pain, but the baths were luxurious. The stress of waiting for a call back from the jobs he had interviewed and applied for in the past few days was getting to him and the hot bubble bath was just what he needed.

Sighing to himself, Kurt closed his eyes and breathed in the aromatic scent of the lavender and vanilla bubbles that crowded him. He sunk lower into the tub so that his neck and elbows were resting on the edges. With his added volume, the water level of the tub was nearly overflowing. He was drifting between full consciousness and dreamland when the sound of his cell phone ringing in the distance caused his eyes to burst open.

"Shit," he cursed under his breath, sitting up in the tub.

He was such a complete moron for not bringing the phone into the bathroom with him. Cursing himself a few more times he glanced around the room in a panic looking for his towel. He froze when the ringing stopped. Letting out a defeated sigh he sank back down into the tub; that could have been a job and he had missed it.

"Blaine, take this to Kurt," sounded Rachel's voice, muffled by the closed door and the distance.

Letting out a breath in relief, Kurt nestled down further in the bathwater and waited. Seconds later, there was a single knock on the door that made Kurt smile. The door opened after and Blaine shuffled in holding Kurt's cell.

"Thank you," said Kurt, happily, as he took the phone Blaine handed to him.

"Hello?" asked Kurt, pressing the cell to the side of his face.

Blaine stood in the middle of the bathroom, eyeing the bubble-filled bathtub with interest.

"Hi, Kurt?" came a semi-familiar voice over the cell phone. "It's Shawn, from Fundamentals of Design class."

"Oh, hi Shawn," replied Kurt, scrunching up his brown in confusion, _why was he calling?_ "I wasn't expecting to hear from you over the summer, to what do I owe the honor?"

Shawn chuckled over the phone. Kurt realized he really liked the other man's voice.

"You, well, um," Shawn stuttered, then, and Kurt found it kind of adorable considering the face he was putting to the name and voice was the confident guy who was always asking the professor questions in class. "Rachel? Is she your girlfriend because, umm, I was under the impression, not that..."

"Rachel's my roommate," Kurt cut in, hoping to put Shawn out of his misery.

"Okay, good, right," laughed Shawn, this time it was slightly shriller. "You certainly do like to pass phones around at your place."

"Ahh, yes," laughed Kurt, smiling as he leaned back in the bath. "Well, Rachel doesn't usually answer my cell but I'm in the tub..." Kurt paused for a second realizing what he just admitted to and blushing. Swallowing, he quickly continued, hoping his pause wasn't obvious. "And I left my cell elsewhere."

"So, you're all naked and wet while talking to me," said Shawn with another chuckle and... _oh_... he was _flirting_, or at least trying to flirt.

"Was there something you wanted, Shawn?" asked Kurt with a light laugh, his face feeling very hot.

"Sorry, yeah," replied Shawn, his voice bumpy as if he were trying to school it into something less nervous and Kurt found himself wondering why anyone would be nervous talking to _him_. "I was hoping we could meet for drinks some night."

"Err" started Kurt.

"...Or, or, or meet for coffee one morning?" Shawn quickly amended.

"Uh, sure," replied Kurt, furrowing his brow. "Sure, Shawn, we could _meet for coffee_ some time. Why don't you text me with a day and time and I'll let you know?"

"Okaythankyougreat," exclaimed Shawn. "I'll, uh, talk to you again soon, then. Thanks, Kurt."

"Yeah," replied Kurt, smirking and raising an eyebrow as he listened to Shawn's nervous enthusiasm. "Talk to you later."

"Bye," chirped Shawn.

Kurt closed his cell and stared at it for a few seconds trying to work out what had just happened. He looked up when he felt something touch his elbow. Blaine.

"Oh," laughed Kurt. "Blaine! I'm sorry! I forgot you were still in here and you startled..."

Kurt stopped talking when he saw the look on Blaine's face. Blaine wasn't looking at him. Well, he was looking at him, just not his face. A complex mixture of emotions was crossing Blaine's face as his eyes followed the line of Kurt's arm up to his shoulder and across his chest. Suddenly feeling completely on display, Kurt's first instinct was to sink lower into the suds and cross his arms over his chest, but he fought the urge to cover up and instead watched as Blaine drank in the sight.

"Blaine?" Kurt croaked after a long silence.

He let the cell drop through his fingers onto the plush bath mat before moving to touch Blaine's hand. Shuffling closer to the tub, Blaine dropped to his knees and leaned his chin on the curved edge of the white porcelain. His eyes were ablaze when they met Kurt's.

"Oh, there you are," whispered Kurt, smiling brightly as the feeling of butterflies fluttered through his stomach and up his chest. "I've been looking for you forever."

The corners of Blaine's mouth twitched in a tiny smile as he reached to trace his fingertips over Kurt's arm. Though the bath water was quite warm, Kurt couldn't help but shiver at Blaine's tentative touch. He ran his fingers up Kurt's arm to his shoulder and then traced across his collarbone and up his throat. Kurt closed his eyes and leaned back, exposing more of his neck to Blaine's fingers.

When Blaine's fingertips traced over Kurt's lips Kurt opened his eyes and locked them on Blaine's. Reaching out, Kurt cupped Blaine's jaw in his hand and drew him closer. His eyes fluttered shut again as he leaned forward and let his lips brush softly against Blaine's. Shivers ran up his spine as their lips made that slightest bit of contact.

Blaine inhaled sharply before capturing Kurt's face between both his hands and pressing in for a true kiss. Kurt couldn't help the tears that sprung to his eyes, slowly forcing their way out from behind closed eyelids, soaking his eyelashes as they escaped. He let out a shaky breath as Blaine pulled back from the kiss, opening his moist eyes and smiling. Blaine looked elated. A sweet, boyish smile lit up his face, softening the sharp angles of his masculine features and stubble covered jaw. The innocence of his expression was quickly wiped away, though, in a sudden flash of desire.

Kurt was sure that his swallow sounded like a cartoon's gulp as he watched Blaine stand with purpose and strip his t-shirt from his muscled torso. His heartbeat resonated in his throat as he sat shocked motionless as Blaine threw his shirt to the floor and quickly worked at pulling off his jeans.

"Wha...?" Kurt managed to stutter out.

His eyes were saucer-wide as he sat in his bubble bath witnessing the undressing of a young man who really should have his own racy calendar. And then Blaine was pulling down his dark grey box briefs and any coherency left in Kurt's mind was completely evaporated.

"Oh," breathed out Kurt when Blaine turned back to him and stepped into the bathtub.

Kurt scrambled to make room. The tub had already been near overflowing, but the extra body was enough to cause displaced water to stream down all sides of the bathtub onto the floor. Kurt didn't really mind, though, he was a little preoccupied with the... _holy shit_... incredibly sexy and _filled-out _naked young man who had just gotten into the bathtub with him. 

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **_What makes you madder? When the writer leaves you on an angsty cliffhanger or when they leave you on a somewhat smutty one? _ _I need to know... for science._


	7. Chapter 6

****Title:**** Why I Feel This Way**  
><strong>Pairings<strong>: **Kurt/Blaine**  
><strong>Rating<strong>: **R**  
><strong>Warnings:<strong> **Pet!Blaine (_and all that pertains to that_)**  
><strong>Note<strong>: **This story is the SEQUEL to Man's Best Friend

* * *

><p><strong><em>Chapter Six<br>_**

* * *

><p>Their knees bumped awkwardly as Blaine worked to settle himself. Coming out of his shock-induced haze, Kurt reached for him and pulled him over to his end of the tub. Blaine went easily, fumbling to keep from kneeing Kurt anywhere sensitive. Seconds and many splashes later, Blaine was straddling Kurt, knees pressed into the bottom of the tub on either side of Kurt's hips and ass resting on the top of his thighs.<p>

Blaine grasped Kurt's shoulders to steady himself as he rocked forward on his knees to press their hips together. It was awkward in the confines of the bathtub but that didn't stop the sudden surge of sparks that resonated from their press through each of their spines. Blaine pressed in again, this time sliding their cocks together as he pressed forward. Kurt let out a short gasp and leaned back against the edge of the tub as his eyes rolled back in his head.

Staring at Kurt's face, Blaine let his hands slowly travel down from his shoulders to glide over the compact pectoral muscles of Kurt's chest and lower over his abdominals ending on the very top of his thighs. Kurt opened his eyes to have them instantly lock focus on the earnest and longing hazel ones only inches from his own. Blaine squeezed at the crease of Kurt's thighs before leaning in to capture his pink lips in his own. Kurt shuddered into his mouth leaning forward to straighten his posture and wrap his arms around Blaine's shoulders.

Blaine was lightly kneading his fingers into the crease where Kurt's thighs met his hips as he continued to hungrily taste Kurt's mouth. Every so often he would cause Kurt's entire body to twitch and shudder as his finger tips pressed into nerves. Kurt thought he might explode with sexual energy, his cock impossibly hard and a hot sweeping sensation taking over the pit of his stomach. They needed to stop and cool down or go further, Kurt wasn't sure which he'd prefer at the moment. His body knew, but his mind was telling him otherwise, and his heart, well, it was just happy at the change in Blaine. He pressed his fingers tighter into the muscle of Blaine's shoulders, reveling in the knowledge that this was real.

"_Blaine_," Kurt half grunted, half sighed out when they finally pulled back from the heated kiss to gasp for breath. "Oh, _Blaine_. I've missed you."

A happy sigh escaped Blaine's slightly opened, kiss-plump lips. He leaned forward to rest his forehead on Kurt's shoulder, his hands rising from Kurt's thighs to wrap around his back below his own raised arms.

"I never stopped loving you," whispered Kurt breathlessly.

Kurt rested his own forehead on Blaine's shoulder pushing Blaine upward so he hooked his chin over Kurt's shoulder. They held tightly to each other as each worked on getting their breathing under control. They reveled in each other's proximity, not daring to let go after such a long time without the other. Kurt had no idea how long they stayed like that, but the fact that the bath water was beginning to cool had to mean it was a fairly long time.

Rachel was somewhere in the apartment and had been the one to send Blaine to the bathroom, she must have gotten some sort of indication from the splashing and the fact that Blaine had yet to exit that something was going down. Kurt felt his cheeks pink at the thought of Rachel guessing at what they were doing. He finally let his arms slowly fall from Blaine's shoulders, trailing his fingers over the other man's upper arms as they went. Blaine sat back a little so he could look into Kurt's eyes.

Smiling when his eyes met Blaine's, Kurt leaned forward to kiss him softly. Blaine let out a sigh, a dreamy smile lifting the corners of his mouth and causing little creases to show up at the corners of his eyes. Kurt's smile grew and he tenderly ran his fingers over the side of Blaine's face. A few moments passed as they soundlessly whispered sweet nothings to each other with their eyes.

Finally, Kurt let out a deep breath that caused his entire chest and shoulders to move before wiggling out from under Blaine and shakily stepping out of the bathtub. He could feel Blaine's eyes on him as he reached for a towel and it caused a small shiver to run up his spine. He toweled himself quickly before grabbing his bathrobe from where it was hanging on the back of the door and pulling it on.

"Sit tight," he said, glancing back at the sexy man still seated in his bathtub. "I'll just go get you another towel."

Kurt closed his eyes and took a breath to steel himself before opening the bathroom door and stepping into the hallway to grab a towel from the linen closet.

"KURT!" sounded Rachel's voice from further down the hall.

Cringing, Kurt tucked the towel under his arm and closed the closet before stepping quickly back to the bathroom.

"Just a minute, Rachel," he called back before slipping back into the bathroom and shutting the door behind him.

Kurt winced when he stepped on the soggy bathmat and felt water bubble up between his toes. He held the towel out for Blaine who carefully got out of the tub and took it from Kurt's hands to wrap around himself. Kurt unplugged the bathtub and after it began draining, lifted up the once-fluffy bathmat and draped it over the side. Noticing his cell, he picked it up and put it in the pocket of his bathrobe. He dropped his used towel to the floor and pushed it around with his toes.

He turned when he felt someone touch his shoulder, coming face to face with Blaine who was staring at him with sparkling eyes. Kurt grinned and leaned forward to place a chaste kiss to Blaine's lips.

"C'mon," he whispered, pulling at the towel wrapped around Blaine's waist to direct him out of the bathroom.

Kurt tiptoed out of the bathroom and dashed into his room, Blaine at his heels. Kurt shut the door behind them and then grinned enticingly at Blaine as he walked backward to his bed. He didn't really realize the power of his 'come hither' face, especially since he didn't even realize he was making said expression, but Blaine followed like he was on a leash, swallowing heavily as he went.

Kurt had always worried that he had the sexual prowess of a baby penguin, but the way Blaine was reacting to him at that moment had definitely emboldened him. He sat down on his bed and pushed himself backward so he was sitting in the middle of the bed, parting his legs so the robe moved exposing his soft but muscular thighs. Blaine licked his lips, practically panting as he followed Kurt to the bed. He crawled up onto the familiar plush duvet of Kurt's bed, settling himself between Kurt's legs.

Their arms immediately wrapped around one another and Blaine moved in for a deep kiss, his tongue pressing through Kurt's lips. When they broke for air, Kurt let his head fall back and a joyful bark of laughter escaped his mouth. Blaine still loved him.

Blaine moved in to kiss and suck at Kurt's neck, squeezing Kurt's body in his arms as he went. Kurt sighed, eyes rolling back and eyelids falling shut. He let Blaine push him softly backward so his head and shoulders were resting on the pillows. The moment his body settled into the bed, Blaine was mouthing down Kurt's body, pushing aside his open robe and breathing in deeply as he went. He was reacquainting himself with Kurt's body, his taste, his smell. He followed different lines of muscle and bone as he continued to kiss and mouth over the soft skin. Kurt let out a gasp when Blaine's lips found his erection, tongue flicking out to lave over the very tip.

Blaine stopped moving and breathed in deeply through his nose, a familiar move that always made Kurt wonder at Blaine's obsession with his scent. When Blaine began moving his mouth again, Kurt bit his lip, trying to keep from making any noises that would alert Rachel to what they were doing. He desperately clenched his hands in the bedding, as he writhed under Blaine's hot mouth while the young man rediscovered his favorite flavor. Blaine didn't take him all the way into his mouth, instead choosing to mouth down Kurt's length before licking a strip back up. Kurt's groan was deep and guttural as Blaine sucked at the tip of his dick, tongue continually swiping at the slit to gather more taste.

Just as Kurt thought he was going to come from Blaine's current ministrations, alone, his mouth disappeared. Kurt groaned in frustration and relief at the loss of the amazing torture. He peaked out from under heavy eyelids to see Blaine rocking back on his heels, just crouching at his knees and staring over Kurt's body. His eyes were hungry, his lips swollen, and his hands were shaking. Kurt pushed himself up on his elbows and stared at Blaine's face until Blaine's eyes locked with his own. Smiling Kurt reached for him and Blaine quickly moved into the embrace, draping his body over Kurt's.

Kurt kissed him sweetly before rolling them onto their sides, hooking a leg over Blaine's thigh to keep him close. At some point Blaine had lost his towel, Kurt was still wearing his robe, though barely. It was open and pushed back away from his body, being held on only by the sleeves. Kurt didn't know how he was surviving from the prolonged teasing but didn't complain when Blaine pressed his face into Kurt's chest and cuddled into him instead of going back to mouthing over his dick. This wasn't sex for them; this was finding each other after being apart physically and emotionally for so long.

There was a knock at Kurt's door, then, causing both of them to tense. Kurt didn't move, though, mentally reminding himself that he was an adult now and this was his apartment.

"Kurt," came the excited voice of Rachel from the other side of the door. "Aren't you going to tell me who was on the phone? Was it one of the places you applied to? Am I going to be able to get a discount at Bergdorf Goodman?"

"No," called Kurt, hoping his voice sounded relatively normal. "It was just some guy from one of my classes."

"Oh, that's... a little disappointing," sounded Rachel's reply. "But I'm sure someone'll call soon."

"Thanks, Rachel," replied Kurt, hoping his tone portrayed that he was done with the conversation.

"So, hey, I was wondering about..." started Rachel again, pausing to turn the handle of the door. "Can I just come in? This is ridiculous talking through the door. You're taking a long time to get dressed."

"Uh, n-n-no, Rachel," sputtered Kurt in a panic. "No, no, Rachel. I'm not dressed, I'm not dressed!"

"What is taking so long?" asked Rachel in a whine. "I want to talk to yoooou."

Kurt sighed out in relief when he saw the door handle stop turning.

"Hey," said Rachel after a pause. "Where's Blaine? I sent him to give you your phone and I haven't... KURT! What's going on in there!"

"Can we please talk later, Rachel," exclaimed Kurt, his face heating up.

"OH. MY. GOSH," came Rachel's voice in a muffled laugh. "Okay, I'll just let you, uh, finish whatever it is that you're, uh, doing and... yeah... we'll talk later."

Kurt closed his eyes and groaned as he listened to Rachel's giggles fade and her footsteps move her away from Kurt's bedroom door. Once he was sure she was somewhere else in the apartment, he turned back to Blaine and give him a silly smile.

"So," he said, quietly. "That was sort of a mood killer for me, how about you?"

Blaine just smiled dreamily at him before pressing his face into the crook of Kurt's neck and shoulder. His breath tickled and Kurt couldn't help a small giggle as his body tensed and he lightly pushed Blaine's face away.

"I love you," Kurt whispered because he could and it felt like a little bit more of the weight on his chest was being removed each time he said it.

* * *

><p>Rachel had left to meet up with some of her friends for dinner and drinks leaving Blaine and Kurt to spend their evening alone together. Blaine hovered in the entry of the kitchen while Kurt flit back and forth preparing them a decidedly non-vegan supper. When the meal was almost ready, Kurt showed Blaine where the dinnerware was kept so he could set the table.<p>

"Garlic Chicken with Jasmine Rice and Steamed Broccoli," said Kurt triumphantly as he set the two bowls of food down on the table with flourish. "That's_ real_ chicken, by the way, Blaine."

The corner of Kurt's mouth twitched up into a smile when he noticed that Blaine had set the table to have them sit side by side instead of across from each other like they usually sat. He took a seat next to Blaine, purposely bumping his thigh with his own as he shifted in his chair. Kurt served Blaine first before himself and they ate in companionable silence, Blaine always doing such and Kurt not feeling the need to fill the air with his own chatter.

"The Bachelorette is on tonight," commented Kurt as they cleared the table together after their meal.

Blaine glanced at Kurt as he started running hot water into the sink in preparation of doing the dishes.

"Don't give me that look," laughed Kurt. "It sucks a person in."

They hurried to do the dishes, or, rather, Kurt hurried to do the dishes while Blaine tried to keep up as he dried them and tried to figure out where they went. Once the dishes were put away and Kurt had washed the counters, the moved into the living room.

Kurt made himself comfortable on the couch and turned on the television with the remote. He looked up at Blaine who was still standing; it was obvious the gears in his head were turning. Kurt patted the seat next to him and gave Blaine a hopeful smile. Blaine let out a little sigh that Kurt wondered was in relief before sitting down next to Kurt on the couch.

They didn't get far into the show before Blaine was lying with his head in Kurt's lap while Kurt mindlessly rubbed his belly, pushing his t-shirt up his chest to do so. Well, it seemed mindless, but Kurt was finding it difficult to pay attention to the show as he reveled in being able to touch Blaine like he used to. He could feel goosebumps sprouting on his arms as he scratched his fingers through the coarse trail of hair starting at Blaine's navel and ran them over the smooth skin of his abdomen. It felt so familiar to get to sit like this with Blaine; however, it was completely different, too. For one thing, he could feel his own arousal stirring instead of worrying over what inappropriate things the belly rub was doing to Blaine.

Kurt chanced a look down at Blaine taking his eyes from the television he had stopped paying attention to a long time ago. Blaine was smiling contentedly, his eyes shut and his body completely at ease. Kurt wanted to kiss him so bad right then, but the angle wouldn't work so he let out a soft sigh and simply continued to run his hand over Blaine's abdomen.

The Bachelorette had long finished and Kurt found himself watching some stupid movie he hadn't heard of that came on as a special presentation on that channel. He couldn't reach the remote that had fallen on the floor while Blaine's head was in his lap and he really didn't want to disturb the beautiful man who was almost asleep in his lap. Kurt watched bits and pieces of the movie, though the acting and the lighting was absolutely terrible, but he spent most of the time admiring Blaine.

He was getting tired but he didn't want to wake Blaine to go to bed. What if, even after their walls had seemingly come crashing down that afternoon, Blaine decided to sleep on the couch that night? Kurt didn't want to chance it when he could have Blaine on his lap. He began to drift in and out of sleep, his body slumping this way and that before he would blink himself awake again. Finally, with a deep sigh, Kurt gave in and gently shook Blaine's shoulder.

"Blaine, wake up," he commanded softly as he continued to shake his shoulder.

Blaine blinked his eyes open after some time. He gazed up at Kurt with tired bleary eyes before a small smile spread across his face and he reached up to touch Kurt's face.

"It's getting late," whispered Kurt, trying to ignore the burst of butterflies in his stomach that resulted from Blaine's touch. "We should go to bed."

Slowly, Blaine moved out of Kurt's lap and sat up. He stretched his arms and yawned. Kurt stood and twisted his torso to stretch his own stiff muscles before he picked the remote up off the floor and turned off the TV. He glanced at Blaine and wondered if leading him to his room would be too demanding.

"You can sleep with me," offered Kurt after a few moments of silence.

He bit his lip nervously before motioning down the hall. Blaine pursed his lips like he was trying to decide on something. Kurt decided not to say 'goodnight' because it sounded too much like dismissal, choosing instead to flash Blaine a nervous smile before heading down the hall to the bathroom to brush his teeth and start his night time routine.

When Kurt entered his bedroom fresh faced and ready for sleep, he stopped in the doorway in surprise. Blaine was curled up in his bed waiting for him. Kurt did an internal fist-pump like the ones Finn always did, before he stepped into his room and changed into his pyjamas. Blaine's eyes never left him but for some reason Kurt didn't feel uncomfortable. He climbed into bed moments later and was quickly engulfed in Blaine's arms. Kurt let out a happy sigh and reached to switch off the bedside lamp before cuddling deeper into Blaine.


	8. Chapter 7

****Title:**** Why I Feel This Way**  
><strong>Pairings<strong>: **Kurt/Blaine**  
><strong>Rating<strong>: **R**  
><strong>Warnings:<strong> **Pet!Blaine (_and all that pertains to that_)**  
><strong>Note<strong>: **This story is the SEQUEL to Man's Best Friend

* * *

><p><strong><em>Chapter Seven<br>_**

* * *

><p>Kurt couldn't help the smile that instantly lit up his face when he woke the next morning in Blaine's arms. He allowed himself to snuggle closer into Blaine's arms for a few moments and just breathe. After a while, though, he slowly crawled out from Blaine's arms and the cosy duvet to great the morning. The kitchen was quiet which either meant he had awoken before Rachel had left her room, or more likely, he had slept in quite late.<p>

Stretching and twisting his torso, Kurt blinked his sleepy eyes a few times as he worked on waking up the rest of the way. He went to his closet and got out an outfit for the day. Laying it on the bottom corner of the bed, he grabbed his bathrobe and quietly left the room to have a quick shower.

He returned twenty minutes later freshly showered, shaven and moisturized. He smiled at Blaine who was now spread out across the bed, still sound asleep. Kurt leaned down and kissed his lips softly. Blaine hummed in his sleep and a soft smile spread across his face. Picking up his clothes, Kurt got dressed and then tiptoed out of the room with one last glance back at the sleeping man in his bed.

Kurt nearly walked into Rachel as he stepped into the hall. He stepped back heavily and worked to regain his balance as well as sort out the reason for the apartment to be silent while Rachel was in it.

"Kurt," whispered Rachel, her face turning into a primary red paint swatch. "I... er... I made a really big mistake last night."

"What?" questioned Kurt.

Rachel reached for his shoulders and directed him a few steps down the hall so that he could see into her bedroom through the slightly ajar door. Kurt squinted in confusion, brows narrowing and then shooting up to his hairline when he took in the form of one Jesse St. James lying in Rachel's bed.

"Rachel," hissed Kurt, turning quickly to glare at her. "What the hell?"

A tiny sob escaped Rachel's mouth and she turned to flee to the kitchen. Kurt followed after her with an angry expression. She stopped and grabbed onto the counter top in the kitchen, leaning over and gasping for air as if she had just run a marathon or been rescued from almost drowning in a swimming pool.

"I don't know," she breathed out. "I don't know. I don't know. I don't know."

"Well, get him out of here," replied Kurt, in a growled whisper. "Then we'll deal with your insanity."

"I was at this restaurant with Jessica, Austin and Megan and then I look over across the bar and there he is," began Rachel, staring at the tile backsplash as she spoke in a shaky voice. "We made eye contact and he grinned at me and waved. I couldn't believe him. Had he actually followed me there or was it some sick sort of coincidence? I went over to him to tell him off but..."

"But?" prompted Kurt once it was obvious Rachel had trailed off and wasn't planning on continuing.

"Well, here we are," sighed Rachel, straightening and turning to look at Kurt. "Maybe I could just... and you could..."

"No," exclaimed Kurt before remembering to keep quiet. "No, no, no, you can get rid of your own indiscretions yourself. I have nothing to do with Jesse St. Sucks and _you _will get him out of here before that has to change. I can't believe you, Rachel."

Rachel let out a shaky breath and nodded. Kurt just shook his head in frustration before opening the refrigerator to decide what to make for Blaine and himself for breakfast. He pulled out a carton of eggs and turned to see Rachel still standing in the kitchen.

"Why are you still here?" asked Kurt.

"He's still asleep," replied Rachel. "It would be rude to wake him..."

"Rachel!" exclaimed Kurt with a frustrated inhale.

Rachel let out a sigh and moved to leave the kitchen when they both heard footsteps. They turned to see Jesse walk into the room with a groggy, half-asleep expression on his face and a mess of tangled hair falling down over his tired eyes.

"Good morning," said Jesse with a smile that, even though tired, still managed to have a smug air to it.

"Jesse," responded Kurt, shortly.

"Kurt," replied Jesse, perking at the sight of him. "It's been a long time."

"Not nearly long enough," replied Kurt under his breath before offering Jesse a tight smile.

"Why don't I take us all out for a nice breakfast," offered Jesse, eyeing the carton of eggs in Kurt's hand. "We can catch up and... oh... hello."

Kurt's heart dropped into his stomach when Blaine stepped into the room behind Jesse, giving the man a confused look before glancing to Kurt.

"Jesse St. James," said Jesse, offering his hand to Blaine.

Blaine stared at Jesse's hand then glanced up at his face before turning to give Kurt a confused look. Kurt gave Blaine a pleading look though he wasn't quite sure what he was pleading for. Brow furrowed, Blaine turned from Jesse and walked across the room to pull Kurt into a tight embrace, pressing his face into the crook of Kurt's neck and shoulder as he did. When they pulled apart, Kurt noticed Jesse giving Rachel a confused look but she just shrugged in response and turned to avoid his eyes.

"This is Blaine," said Kurt, not wanting to appear rude even though he wasn't sure why he cared.

"Alright, well," said Jesse clasping his hands together and smiling widely. "Why don't I go get cleaned up and dressed and then, Rachel, I'll take you and Kurt... and... Blaine out for breakfast. We can catch up."

"Thank you for the offer, Jesse, that sounds simply perplexing," spoke Kurt before Rachel could respond. "Blaine and I have plans, but I'm sure it would be _lovely_."

"Well," said Jesse, his bright expression not dampened. "I guess it'll just be Rachel and I."

"Rachel and _me_," correct Kurt under his breath as he smiled tightly at Jesse.

Rachel flashed Kurt a look of panic causing Kurt to internally snicker. He quickly sobered, though, feeling a wave of sympathy cross over him when Jesse put his arm around her shoulders and Rachel's face turned white.

"Didn't you have a job interview this morning, Rach?" asked Kurt, turning his back to them to pull a frying pan from a low cabinet

"Oh, I... umm, yes," stammered Rachel, taking Kurt's offered 'out'. "Yes I did... do... I do... thank you for reminding me, Kurt."

"Unfortunate," spoke Jesse, still smiling. "Next time, though, I'll be taking all of you out. There's this absolutely charming waffle house not too far from here that you simply must try if you haven't already. They even have a vegetarian/vegan menu for people like us, Rachel."

"Sounds great," replied Rachel half-heartedly.

Kurt rolled his eyes at her before moving past her and Jesse to start making his breakfast. Blaine stood on the other side of the kitchen, watching Jesse with wary eyes.

"Well," said Rachel, making a show of glancing at the clock on the wall. "I had better get ready to go."

"Of course," replied Jesse. "Punctuality always makes a good impression."

"So does leaving before outstaying one's welcome," muttered Kurt from the stove where he was pouring a small amount of olive oil in his pan. He turned his head, then, and spoke over his shoulder, "Blaine, can you bring me the green pepper?"

* * *

><p>Kurt and Blaine were just setting their breakfast on the table when Jesse St. James, now showered and dressed, was finally leaving the apartment. Once the door clicked shut behind him, Rachel instantly appeared next to Kurt and dropped into the seat beside him.<p>

"What a nightmare," she sighed before letting her forehead fall to the table.

"You know," mused Kurt as he took a bite of his scrambled eggs. "If it weren't for his relations with you, I would have pegged Jesse as playing for my team."

"Unhelpful," spoke Rachel.

Kurt just shrugged to himself and continued to eat his breakfast. Blaine glanced between Rachel and Kurt while he tentatively ate his own scrambled eggs, obviously confused by the events of the morning. After he had almost completely finished his eggs, Kurt let out a sigh and patted Rachel on the shoulder.

"We all make mistakes," he offered. "Some of us more grandiose than others, but still."

"The ramifications of this," sighed out Rachel with a shaky breath. "Are going to be... vast and humiliating."

"Without a doubt," confirmed Kurt, retracting his hand so he could continue to eat.

"You could always quit the show," he said after another bite.

"You can't be serious," gasped Rachel, turning her head sharply to shoot Kurt an incredulous look.

Kurt simply shrugged in response.

* * *

><p>Blaine was acting more and more like his old self that day. Having Kurt's affirmation allowed him to easily get more comfortable around Kurt and Rachel. To prove the point, that afternoon, Kurt came home from grocery shopping to find Blaine sprawled out on the couch, his head in Rachel's lap and Rachel rubbing at his belly. Kurt gave Rachel an accusatory look but she just laughed and said that she liked <em>this Blaine<em> much better, that he was just a big puppy dog. Kurt snorted indelicately at that, just the hint of a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth as he rolled his eyes and stepped into the kitchen to put away the groceries.

Later that afternoon, Kurt claimed he'd go crazy if he didn't get out of the apartment where he had spent most of the day waiting for a phone call from one of the places he had applied to. So, he and Blaine got ready to leave. They went for a walk, Kurt thinking it would be good to get Blaine acquainted with their neighbourhood. Blaine's head was on a perpetual swivel their entire walk.

The air was a little chilly considering the time of year. Eventually, they found themselves in a coffee shop just two blocks away from Kurt's apartment. It was small and quaint but stylish and, because of the time of day, rather quiet. Kurt had been there a few times before, though he normally went to the coffee shop next to campus.

Kurt directed Blaine to a table before going to the counter to order. He decided to order Blaine a medium drip like Rachel had that time the three of them had met for lunch –Blaine had seemed to like it, after all. A few minutes later, he sat down across the small, round table from Blaine with their coffees in hand. He set Blaine's down in front of him and Blaine was quick to reach for his newly freed hand. They sat quietly, holding hands across the table and sipping their coffees. Blaine kept glancing around the cafe taking in their surroundings as well as out the window at passersby. Kurt mainly stared into space, silently contemplating what he was going to do for a job that summer since he still hadn't had any calls back.

Kurt looked up when a shadow fell across their table.

"Well, hello there," sounded the warm and amused voice of Mr. Gabriner.

"Hi," replied Kurt, surprised. He quickly withdrew his hand from Blaine's, too busy looking up at his professor to notice the hurt look that swept across Blaine's face. "What brings you to _Café Noir_?"

Mr. Gabriner laughed happily and patted Kurt lightly on the shoulder.

"I'm a regular here!" he replied, smiling brightly.

"Oh," breathed Kurt. "I've never seen you here before."

"I guess we've just been missing each other," answered Mr. Gabriner with a shrug. He turned his attention to Blaine and smiled brightly. "Hello! Blaine, right? How are you enjoying the city?"

"He, uh," stammered Kurt as Mr. Gabriner's face fell in confusion at Blaine's lack of response. "He's mute."

"Mute," repeated Mr. Gabriner, his eyebrows rising.

Kurt worried his lip between his teeth and nodded in confirmation. He could hear his heart suddenly hammering in his ears. The eccentric artist turned professor was definitely his favorite of all the instructors he had taken classes with, but there was something about the way Mr. Gabriner looked at Blaine that made him uneasy. It was as if he _knew_.

After a few beats, Mr. Gabriner pursed his lips but nodded.

"Pleasure to meet you, Blaine," he said, giving Blaine a warm smile. "I teach at Kurt's college. He took a drawing class and fundamentals of design class with me last term."

He turned back to Kurt, then, running a hand through his mess of scruffy sandy-coloured hair.

"Will you be taking Art History with me in the fall?" he asked.

"No, I decided on History of Costume instead," replied Kurt with a shake of his head and slightly guilty smile. "I figured with my interest in Broadway, it might be more to my liking."

"Ahh, yes," answered Mr. Gabriner with a nod. "Unfortunate for me, I won't have my star student to tease. I'll still have you for Drawing, though, I assume."

"Definitely," replied Kurt with a grin.

Blaine stood, then, and motioned toward the bathroom. Kurt nodded in understanding and Blaine stepped away to use the restroom.

"So... mute," said Mr Gabriner once Blaine was out of ear-shot. "That must make it difficult for your relationship at times."

"Relationship," echoed Kurt with a frown.

"You still maintain that you're just friends?" asked Mr. Gabriner with a teasingly critical eyebrow raise.

"Why are you so keen on knowing my relationship status, anyway?" asked Kurt. He was trying to go for teasing but it came out a bit sharper than he meant. "Or is it _Blaine_ that you're so interested in? Are you asking about us because you want to know whether he's available or not?"

"Easy now," laughed Mr. Gabriner, throwing up his free hand. "As cute as both of you are, I'm engaged and Taylor isn't one for sharing... plus, I'm probably a little old for you."

The tension in Kurt's shoulders eased a little at Mr. Gabriner's words.

"Sorry," sighed Kurt. "I'm a little on edge right now."

"No kidding," laughed the professor. "So... not just friends, then."

"It's... complicated," sighed Kurt.

Mr. Gabriner nodded contemplatively.

"Most things are," he said gently before brightening. "Of course, we tend to make things more complicated than they have to be."

Kurt pursed his lips thoughtfully before taking a sip of his coffee.

"Well, I better be going," said Mr. Gabriner. "It was good to see you, Kurt."

"Yes," replied Kurt, managing a warm smile at the professor. "It was good to see you, too."

"Good bye, Blaine," called Mr. Gabriner as he walked away.

Kurt turned in his chair to see Blaine walking back up to their table. The dark haired young man shot a confused and almost annoyed look at Mr. Gabriner's back before taking his seat across from Kurt. Smiling thoughtfully at Blaine, Kurt reached to retake his hand like they had been holding hands before the professor had arrived, but Blaine frowned and moved his hand away. Kurt frowned but didn't say anything. They sat together in silence as they finished their coffee, Blaine looking decidedly less happy than he had before.

When they got up to leave, Kurt reached to hold Blaine's hand yet again, but he quickly shoved his hand in the pockets of his worn jeans. They threw their coffee cups in the garbage as they walked through the doors of the shop. Kurt noticed a 'help wanted' sign hanging in the doorway as they stepped out the second set of doors. He hummed contemplatively to himself.

* * *

><p><em><em><strong>AN:** If you follow me on LiveJournal, you'll know that all my writing is currently on backburner and this story is on a semi-hiatus. That said... wooo.. unanticipated update! yay! It is a bit shorter than anticipated and a little discombobulated because of how fuzzy my brain is with everything going on in my life right now, but, hopefully you enjoyed it. Thank you for reading!__


	9. Chapter 8

****Title:**** Why I Feel This Way**  
><strong>Pairings<strong>: **Kurt/Blaine**  
><strong>Rating<strong>: **R**  
><strong>Warnings:<strong> **Pet!Blaine (_and all that pertains to that_)**  
><strong>Note<strong>: **This story is the SEQUEL to Man's Best Friend

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Eight<br>**

* * *

><p>The way Blaine hung so desperately to his indignation on the walk home even in spite of the suddenly overcast sky and the distant rumblings of thunder would have been cute if Kurt wasn't so worried about the <em>why<em>. Kurt could feel the nervous energy rolling off of Blaine in waves as they walked together down the busy New York sidewalk, even though Blaine refused to take his hand.

They reached the front doors of their apartment building just as the first real flash of lighting pierced the sky with a burst of light. Blaine's entire body tensed in anticipation of the loud boom that was sure to follow. Kurt pulled the door of the building open and ushered Blaine inside. He quickly punched in the code to unlock the security door as thunder rocked through the air. Kurt stumbled a little as Blaine's body suddenly pressed against his from behind. He reached to open the security door and the two young men stepped through into the building, heading toward the elevator.

Pride and resentment forgotten in light of his fear of the thunderstorm, Blaine took hold of Kurt's hand as they walked briskly down the apartment hall. Kurt squeezed his hand in reassurance. Blaine was antsy and nervous during the elevator ride. It caused Kurt to feel a little edgy, himself. He hoped the power stayed on at least until they got out of the elevator. Not that they lost power a lot during electric storms, but the idea of being stuck in the elevator until the power came back on with a frightened Blaine didn't have much appeal.

Kurt could hear the rain finally break through the angry clouds and pour down outside like a massive waterfall as they stepped into the dark apartment. Kurt flicked on the lights and let Blaine step around him in the narrow entry before he shut the door behind them. He took off his shoes and set them to the side, Blaine following suit.

They cuddled up on Kurt's bed under the soft, heavy duvet and watched the storm through the open blinds of Kurt's bedroom window, Blaine burrowing into Kurt's chest every time a clap of thunder sounded. Kurt idly ran his fingers through Blaine's growing hair as he stared absently out the window, watching the rain pelt the glass and run down in transparent worming trails.

He wasn't sure how long they sat like that but Blaine's weight aginst his chest had grown considerably and his limbs had loosened letting Kurt know he had fallen asleep in the dim light of the cloudy afternoon. Kurt's own eyelids were feeling heavy when he was suddenly jolted from near-sleep at the sound of his cell phone.

"Hello?" spoke Kurt after awkwardly fishing his cell out of his pocket.

"Hi Kurt, Shawn here," came the light-hearted voice of his classmate.

"Oh, hi, Shawn," replied Kurt, straightening a little where he was resting against the headboard of his bed, Blaine's head still pressed into his chest.

"So, I know you had conceded a coffee date," started Shawn, his voice still light and bubbly and almost a little apologetic. "But my friend and I have been planning on going to this club-bar-place-thingy tonight and he _just_ told me that he is bringing his girlfriend along. So, um, I really uh, hate being a third wheel and... I was kind of hoping... I know it is kind of last minute and everything..."

Kurt bit his lip and looked down at Blaine who was snuggled happily into him. Shawn sounded really nice and it felt good to actually have someone be interested in him... someone _normal_. Kurt winced at his internal dialogue, but didn't try to correct himself. Instead he took a deep breath before responding to Shawn.

"Shawn," started Kurt, excitement and regret filling his chest at the same time. "I'd love to come."

He could hear Shawn inhale quickly like he was about to respond, so Kurt quickly added, "but, as a _friend,_" putting special emphasis on the last word.

"Of course, right," replied Shawn, his voice brightening. "As friends. Thank you, Kurt."

"Where should I meet you and what time?" asked Kurt, trying to keep his voice low so as to not disturb Blaine.

"What's your address?" asked Shawn in reply.

Kurt rattled off his address without thinking.

"I'll pick you up at 8:30," said Shawn, with a smile in his voice. "See you soon, Kurt."

The phone clicked off before Kurt could wrap his head around what he had just done. Shawn was going to pick him up that evening for a _not_-date in front of Rachel _and Blaine_. Kurt grimaced.

The rain outside was still falling in a fury, the sound broken every so often by the boom of thunder. Though Blaine had managed to fall asleep, his body still tensed with every loud thunderclap. Kurt leaned further back against his headboard of his bed, shuffling down into a more comfortable position under Blaine's weight. The lightning and thunder were growing steadily closer together and a few minutes later a bright flash of light illuminated the entire room through the window at almost the exact same time as a boom of thunder. The thunder was so loud that Kurt almost imagined it had physically shaken the building. Blaine's body tensed, the loud thunder having woke him. He let out a soft whine and he burrowed tighter still into Kurt.

A glance over at his alarm clock showed Kurt that the face was dark with no trace of the digital red numbers. The power had gone off. Kurt rubbed soothing circles into Blaine's shoulder as the loud booms continued to rock their apartment. Blaine was shaking, fingers clenched tightly into the material of Kurt's shirt. Planting small kisses against the top of Blaine's head, Kurt continued to rub his back and began to hum his mother's lullaby.

At some point they must have fallen asleep. Kurt woke hungry and lying under the heavy blanket of Blaine's body. He glanced over at his clock to see a flashing 12:46, alerting him to the fact that the power had come back forty six minutes earlier. Trying not to make any big movements that would wake Blaine, Kurt rooted around in his jeans trying to find his cell.

Finally, he found it lying discarded on the bed next to him. He checked the screen to figure out what time it was. Seven. They had slept right through supper. He had an hour and a half to get ready. Carefully, Kurt shimmied out from under Blaine and headed to the bathroom for a shower. When Kurt returned to his room, he found a sleepy Blaine buried under the blankets of his bed.

"There's something you never grew out of," chuckled Kurt, moving to stand at the foot of the bed, hands on hips and eyebrow raised. "Why must you always make such a mess of my bed, Blaine? We were on it for nearly two hours without messing it up, but I leave for a few minutes and come back to this."

Blaine poked his head out from the duvet cocoon to give Kurt a sleepy and somewhat guilty smile. Kurt rolled his eyes but couldn't help the way his heart seemed to swell in his chest at the sight. Shaking his head, Kurt turned to his closet to look for an outfit.

"I'm going out tonight," said Kurt as he thumbed through the hangers on his side of the closet.

After some humming and hawing, Kurt chose some slim acid-wash blue jeans, a high-collared white dress shirt, and slim grey cardigan that was cut similar to a double-breasted suit jacket. His style may had changed a little since high school, but the thing that didn't change was his _sense of style_; trendy, flattering and a little different from the norm. Satisfied, Kurt laid the clothing out on the edge of his bed as far away from Blaine and his blanket nest as the bed would allow to keep them from getting inadvertently creased.

"What do you want for supper, Blaine?" asked Kurt, knowing he wouldn't actually get an answer.

Kurt pulled on some underwear and an undershirt before shrugging his bathrobe back on. He glanced back toward the bed as he stepped out of the bedroom. Blaine had poked his head back out of the cocoon again at Kurt's question and was staring at him with half-lidded eyes.

"I'm going to throw together a quick supper," said Kurt, flashing Blaine a distracted smile. "Get out of bed, Lazy."

Blaine sat at the table and carefully ate his makeshift supper that Kurt had thrown together from a few containers of leftovers. He eyed Kurt who was sitting across the table from him shoveling his share into his mouth without any sort of finesse. Moments later, Kurt was finished his food and rinsing his plate in the sink, Blaine not even halfway done his own plateful.

"I need to get dressed," gasped Kurt as he hurried back to his bedroom after glancing at the clock in the kitchen.

Not ten minutes later, the buzzer sounded and Kurt dashed out of the bathroom where he had been trying to style his uncooperative hair. He pushed the button on the intercom to hear Shawn saying 'hi, it's Shawn'. With a quick 'come on up', Kurt pushed the button to unlock the apartment plex's front door and dashed back to the bathroom to quickly fuss over his hair one last time. Minutes later the knock on the front door had Kurt racing from the bathroom yet again, calling out 'goodbye' to Blaine and the shut door of Rachel's bedroom, and hurrying to slide on his shoes and grab his coat.

Blaine stepped around the corner of the kitchen from where he had been washing dishes to watch as Kurt opened the apartment door only a crack to say 'hi' to the person on the other side. Kurt glanced back at Blaine who was watching him curiously and gave him a little wave before squishing himself out the door into the hallway, not wanting Blaine to see Shawn or vice versa.

"Hi," breathed out Kurt, once he had shut the apartment door behind him.

"Hi," replied Shawn giving him a confused and amused look and laughing lightly. "You're ready, I assume."

"Yep," replied Kurt, still slightly breathless. "Let's go."

"Great," replied Shawn.

His bright green eyes were dancing with the excitement that he had carefully schooled the rest of his face into hiding. He reached for Kurt's arm but quickly thought better, obviously remembering a little late that it was not an actual date, and dropped his hand to his side.

"So," said Shawn, smiling to cover obvious nerves. "We're going to this place called Kosmos. They have something of a Karaoke night tonight, and before you make a face, it isn't a _Karaoke bar_."

Feeling a little less anxious now that he was out of the apartment and Blaine hadn't seen Shawn and made a fuss, Kurt laughed a little at the way Shawn distastefully said 'Karaoke bar'.

"It's like a nightclub that has a Karaoke night twice a month," continued Shawn. "I haven't been, yet, but it sounds like it is really something."

"I'm game," replied Kurt with a shrug.

Shawn flashed him a brilliant smile just as they reached the elevator. Kurt found himself biting his lip at how gorgeous Shawn's smile was. He turned from the green-eyed, brown-haired young man smiling at him and pressed the button to call the elevator.

* * *

><p>"I thought you said it wasn't a Karaoke bar," laughed Kurt as they stepped into the crowded bar and heard someone singing the final lines of '<em>American Pie'<em> from where they were nervously rocking back and forth on stage.

Shawn laughed a little nervously, eyes scanning the crowd most likely in search of his friend and friend's girlfriend. Kurt made sure to dramatically groan when the first few notes of '_YMCA_' began to play through the large speakers at the sides of the modern stage.

"Are you even kidding me right now?" asked Kurt, rolling his eyes but grinning as he glared at Shawn.

"Hey, now," laughed Shawn, throwing up his hands in mock defense. "I didn't pick the playlist."

_Young man, there's no need to feel down  
>I said young man, pick yourself off the ground<br>I said young man, 'cause you're in a new town  
>There's no need to be unhappy<em>

Kurt rolled his eyes again, eyeing the stage as he allowed Shawn to pull him through the crowd standing around the edges of the dance floor. Shawn had spotted his friend and was headed to his cocktail table.

_Young man, there's a place you can go  
>I said young man, when you're short on your dough<br>You can stay there and I'm sure you will find  
>Many ways to have a good time<em>

A slim man with dark hair and bright blue eyes turned to smile broadly at them as they approached the table. The curvy woman standing next to him had green eyes, red hair and beautifully pale skin peppered in large freckles.

"Shawn," she squealed when she saw him, almost knocking over her drink in an effort to throw her arms around his neck.

Kurt hung back a pace to watch. Shawn laughed as the girl practically choked him halfway to the grave with her hug. The slim man smiled fondly at the interaction between his best friend and his girlfriend before he turned his pale eyes on Kurt and gave him a small nod.

"Nicholas," he said, reaching a hand out to Kurt.

"Kurt," replied Kurt, taking his offered hand and giving it a squeeze and shake.

"Ahhh," responded Nicholas, his expression turning mischievous. "The infamous Kurt."

"Nicholas," hissed Shawn, suddenly as Kurt furrowed his brow in confusion.

"I'm Amanda," said the freckled lady, reaching to squeeze Kurt's hand in greeting. "Ignore Nicholas."

Kurt gave her a smile and node before he glanced at Shawn who was giving Nicholas a look of warning. Shawn's face was suddenly a lovely shade of red.

"Infamous?" asked Kurt.

"Yes," laughed Nicholas, shooting Shawn a daring look before turning back to Kurt with a grin. "Kurt, the most talented and beautiful man in the arts department," he said, attempting Shawn's voice.

"Now that I'm effectively mortified," managed Shawn, his voice slightly higher than usual as he gave Kurt a crooked smile. "Can I go get us some drinks?"

_No man does it all by himself  
>I said young man, put your pride on the shelf<br>And just go there to the Y.M.C.A.  
>I'm sure they can help you today<em>

It's fun to stay at the Y.M.C.A.  
>It's fun to stay at the Y.M.C.A.<br>They have everything for young men to enjoy  
>You can hang out with all the boys<p>

"Singapore Sling," answered Kurt, smiling softly at Shawn and feeling his own cheeks pink at the realization at just how big a crush this handsome young man had on him.

Shawn nodded and rushed off into the crowd, headed toward the bar.

"You gonna sing something later?" asked Nicholas, nodding toward the stage.

"Um," replied Kurt, laughing nervously.

The three looked toward the stage to watch the husky man standing infront of the microphone flapping his arms in a failed attempt at the 'YMCA' actions.

"I don't know how I would follow that act," snorted Kurt, smirking slightly.

Amanda burst out in a fit of giggles, causing Kurt's smirk to widen.

"I _heard_ this place was great," grumbled Nicholas as he glared at the man flailing on the stage.

"Well," said Kurt, thoughtfully. "The decor definitely holds true to what Shawn told me of the place, the entertainment on the other hand..."

_It's fun to stay at the Y.M.C.A.  
>It's fun to stay at the Y.M.C.A.<br>Young man, young man there's no need to feel down  
>Young man, young man pick yourself off the ground<em>

_It's fun to stay at the Y.M.C.A  
>It's fun to stay at the Y.M.C.A<em>

The three collectively winced as the man almost knocked the microphone stand over as he threw his arms to the side to make a 'C'

_They have everything for young men to enjoy  
>You can hang out with all the boys<em>

It's fun to stay at the Y.M.C.A.  
>It's fun to stay at the Y.M.C.A.<br>You can get yourself clean you can have a good meal  
>You can do whatever you feel<p>

"I'm going to sing Wannabe," stated Amanda, suddenly.

Kurt looked away from the stage to cock an eyebrow at her.

"Spice Girls?" he asked in an accusing manner.

"_Everyone_ loves Spice Girls," cut in Shawn as he returned to the table carrying two drinks.

Kurt gave Shawn an incredulous look, glancing around the table to see Amanda nodding in agreement and Nicholas rolling his eyes and frowning exaggeratedly.

"Sure they do," said Kurt indulgently, patting Shawn's arm.

He couldn't ignore the way his touch caused Shawn's face to flood with colour. Kurt smiled privately and took a sip of his drink.

* * *

><p>Hours later, Kurt said goodbye to Shawn through the open window of the taxi after climbing out and shutting the door. He swayed on his feet a little, the alcohol in his system making him feel giddy.<p>

"You sure I can't walk you to your door?" asked Shawn with a slight slur.

"Absolutely unnecessary," replied Kurt with a crooked smile.

"Alright," replied Shawn through the window. "I'll call you later, Kurt. Thanks for coming out tonight."

"Yeah," laughed Kurt, giddily. "I had fun. Bye."

With that, Kurt turned on his heel and danced up to the front doors of his apartment. He laughed lightly as he heard Shawn call "Sleep Tight!" from behind him before the taxi pulled away from the curb. Kurt hummed to himself as he punched in the code to unlock the front door. He opened his mouth to sing out the lyrics of the ABBA song he had been humming as he pushed open the door.

_"Tonight the  
>Super Trouper beams are gonna blind me<br>But I won't feel blue  
>Like I always do<br>'Cause somewhere in the crowd there's you"_

Kurt laughed merrily to himself, tipsy from the alcohol and high from the time spent singing ridiculous songs on stage, as he dance-walked down the hallway to the elevator.


	10. Chapter 9

****Title:**** Why I Feel This Way**  
><strong>Pairings<strong>: **Kurt/Blaine**  
><strong>Rating<strong>: **R**  
><strong>Warnings:<strong> **Pet!Blaine (_and all that pertains to that_)**  
><strong>Note<strong>: **This story is the SEQUEL to Man's Best Friend

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Nine<br>**

* * *

><p>Kurt fumbled with his keys, dropping them twice and laughing giddily each time had had to pick them up again. He really wasn't –<em>that-<em>drunk. He was more dancing the line between being happily tipsy and stupid drunk, but it had been a long time since he'd gone out and the relief of letting go of his stresses was compounding the goofy feeling the alcohol in his system was giving him. Finally, he managed to unlock his door and remember to take his keys out of the keyhole before stepping inside.

"Gotta be quiet, don't wanna wake anyone," Kurt whispered to himself as he hung up his coat and stepped out of his shoes.

He tiptoed to his bedroom, a bring grin on his face. He was giggly and happy and he felt like cuddling. When he got to his room, he undressed and draped his clothes over his hamper to be dealt with in the morning. He pulled on his pyjamas, eyeing the blanket cocoon Blaine had made on his bed longingly. First, though, he had to at least wash his face and brush his teeth.

A few minutes later, Kurt returned to the bedroom feeling a little more himself. He crawled up on the bed, wanting his cuddles. Pulling apart the cocoon, Kurt's chest clenched in surprise when he realized there was no Blaine. Brow furrowed, Kurt slid off the bed and tiptoed out of the room and down the hall to the living room. The couch and rocking chair were both empty. Kurt bit his lip, trying to push down the panic rising in his throat.

He looked around the apartment a few times before taking a deep breath and knocking on Rachel's door.

"Rachel," he whispered loudly, poking his head into her dark bedroom. "Rachel, wake..."

Kurt stopped talking when he noticed Blaine's form curled up at the foot of her bed. He was curled up with the blanket from the couch, like he had tried to drape it over himself but wasn't able to get it quite right. Kurt wondered if Rachel knew Blaine was there or if he had come after she had went to bed, lonely because Kurt hadn't yet returned.

The way he was laying at the foot of her bed was so very pet-like that it surprised Kurt. It brought to light just how much Blaine had grown in the time he had known him. He had changed so much from the boy with a puppy-like demeanor who had followed Kurt around his house and who had wrestled with Finn in the backyard on warm days. He had aged faster than time had gone by. More withdrawn; whatever naivety he had lost leaving him suspicious of every stranger and even, it seemed at times, of Kurt. He still had moments where his eyes sparkled with mischief or excitement. He seemed wiser, but Kurt wondered if perhaps just jaded.

Before the farm, before he had been torn from his lover and held a prisoner, he had loved without fear or apology. He seemed simultaneously stronger and weaker now. Kurt wasn't sure which had shown him that better; the first night there had been a storm and Blaine had refused to look for comfort or early that very day when Blaine had pushed aside his pride and gone to him for comfort.

Kurt found himself wondering if there was any place Blaine could work nearby. He had experience now, from working at the farm. Unfortunately, there weren't a lot of applications for it in the city. But, Kurt wondered if it wouldn't make Blaine feel better to had something that was his own, some form of independence from Kurt, something that was just his. But Kurt's traitorous, alcohol addled brain kept twisting his thoughts away from him as he worked to have them.

He was trying to be lost in deep thought, but the alcohol tainted side of him was busy thinking much shallower thoughts and breaking into Kurt's deeps ones with them. For example, he couldn't help but enjoy the way Blaine's shirt was pulled tight across his shoulders, though details were hard to make out in the dark. He let out a soft giggle when he imagined himself a cartoon character with an angel on one shoulder and a devil on the other. Kurt tried to go back to his little epiphanies over Blaine but his 'tipsy' state wouldn't allow it for long and soon he found himself wishing to be taken from behind, doggy-style by his sweet puppy-Blaine who really wasn't that puppyish anymore.

Kurt mentally berated himself for the inappropriate and demeaning thoughts that he couldn't even believe had come from his own mind. Blaine could never be his lover and partner if he still thought of him as a pet. It had been him who had fought so hard to have people give some respect to the taskers and pets, to view them as humans. Here he was standing in his best friend's bedroom doorway, staring lustfully at Blaine and thinking corruptive thoughts. He wanted to blame the alcohol, but the thought had still come from his own brain.

He really did want to be with Blaine again, but he had shocked himself with the 'doggy' thing that had seemingly came from nowhere. Was he actually as disgusting of a person as the kids at school had said? It almost seemed that way. Kurt felt his stomach begin to roll and he stumbled back into the hall and into the bathroom before heaving his stomach's contents into the toilet. It had been some time since he had last drank. He flushed the toilet and moved to wash his face and hands in the sink, feeling slightly clearer of mind.

He wondered if he should leave Blaine to sleep on Rachel's bed or if he should go wake him and bring him back to his own bed. He didn't deserve Blaine's company, but he wanted it so badly and he definitely didn't want Blaine waking the next morning to Rachel and fearing Kurt hadn't come home at all. It was with those thoughts that Kurt found himself tiptoeing into Rachel's bedroom, which felt incredibly strange, and leaning down next to Blaine to whisper in his ear.

Blaine's body tensed when he woke, as if he were fearful of who had woken him and expecting unwelcomed contact.

"It's me," whispered Kurt, and Blaine's eyes opened, then.

Kurt had left on the bathroom light and it shone from down the hall, bringing enough light into the room that Kurt could see recognition soften Blaine's eyes from where they had opened fearful wide.

"Let's go to bed," whispered Kurt, again, pushing the blanket from Blaine's shoulders.

Blaine got up stiffly and crawled off the bed to follow Kurt to his room. Together, they made Kurt's bed before climbing in and cuddling together. Blaine rested his head on Kurt's chest and sighed happily before they both allowed themselves to drift to sleep.

* * *

><p>The next morning, Kurt woke with a throbbing headache to the sound of two bodies puttering around in the kitchen. He opened his eyes and winced when greeted by the bright sun shining in through his window. He was alone in his bed. Turning his head to glance at his alarm clock, he realized he hadn't reset it after the thunder storm had reset it the day before. With a small groan, Kurt pulled himself out of bed and trudged to the bathroom to take a shower.<p>

After showering, he stiffly dried himself off and got dressed in his room. Today he would go down to the coffee shop and apply for a job. It was an unfortunate situation, but he needed a paycheque and he could always quit if he ever did get a callback from any of the places he had applied. When he walked into the kitchen to find himself some breakfast, it was to see Blaine and Rachel standing at the sink companionably washing dishes together.

"We saved you some breakfast," said Rachel brightly when she sensed Kurt's presence. "It's in the fridge."

"Thanks," mumbled Kurt.

He stood watching Blaine and Rachel for a few moments. Rachel giggled when Blaine placed a dollop of soap suds on her nose he had scooped from the water. He grinned mischievously when she smacked his shoulder and warned him not to make a mess. Kurt smiled to himself before opening the refrigerator to investigate whatever it was Rachel had made for the breakfast that morning.

Kurt pulled the plate of vegan-style Banana French Toast from the fridge, with a small noise of delight and crossed the room to heat it up in the microwave. He had the microwave door open and was about to slip the place inside when Rachel noticed what he was doing.

"Kurt!" she screeched turning and crossing the short distance of the kitchen in two determined steps to take the plate from Kurt's hand. "You do **_not _**reheat French toast in a microwave."

Frowning, Kurt watched as Rachel pulled out the frying pan she had just dried and put away and placed it on the stove. She turned the dial to have the element heat up before turning to give Kurt a dire look.

"I don't know why we even have a microwave," sighed Kurt before rolling his eyes.

"It'll make the French toast rubbery," explained Rachel with a huff of annoyance.

Kurt rolled his eyes and leaned back against the counter near Blaine who was just finishing up with the dishes. Rachel flipped the toast a few times on the pan to keep it from overcooking as she warmed it up. When Blaine finished cleaning the last dish, he drained the sink and rinsed out the soap bubbles. Kurt watched Blaine with interest as he worked; now moving over to dry the dishes and put them away. It was a simple enough task but somehow he managed to do it with a meticulous charm that Kurt found himself charmed by.

"Your breakfast is served," announced Rachel as she dramatically flipped the toast back onto the plate and passed it to Kurt.

"Thank you, Rachel," said Kurt, taking the plate from her. "I'd have rubbery French toast without you."

"You wouldn't even have French toast without me," huffed Rachel as she turned the stove off and set the pan aside to cool.

"You're right," laughed Kurt as he pulled open the cutlery drawer to find himself a fork and knife.

When he sat down at the dining room table he noticed the large, round clock on the wall and let out an exhale of surprise.

"Is it really already ten thirty?" exclaimed Kurt, turning sharply to where Rachel was standing at the edge of the kitchen. "You're usually up so much sooner than this; I assumed it was still relatively early."

"I have no plans today except to stay in and learn my lines," replied Rachel with a shrug.

She flashed a bright smile at Blaine as he stepped out of the kitchen.

"I still can't believe it is so late in the morning," sighed Kurt.

"You slept it," said Rachel with another shrug.

"I never sleep in," replied Kurt in exasperation.

"You do when you're hung over," argued Rachel. "How late _did_ you get in last night?"

"I'm not hung over," grumbled Kurt, cutting into his French toast with slightly more force than what was probably necessary. "Maybe just a tad."

"You're a tad bit hung over," amended Rachel with a ridiculous grin.

Kurt rolled his eyes before turning his attention to his meal instead of one Rachel Berry.

"So," started Rachel after allowing him a few bites of his meal in peace. "What are your plans for the day?"

"I'm going to get a job," answered Kurt after swallowing. "Shitty economy be damned."

"Watch your mouth," laughed Rachel, shaking her head. "Sometimes you're as bad as your brother."

Kurt shrugged.

* * *

><p>Kurt stepped into the coffee shop, resume in hand. He couldn't help but feel a little nervous, though his internal fashion snob kept trying to tell him he had no reason to be, this job was so below him as it was. Kurt was nervous just the same. What if he couldn't even get a job at a <em>coffee shop<em>? What then?

He approached the till as confidently as he could muster and asked if the manager was in. It was a slower time of the day so the coffee shop was fairly empty. The girl at the till quickly disappeared and then reappeared with a woman looking to be barely into her 30s.

"You needed to see the manager?" she asked, looking at Kurt questioningly.

"You had a Help Wanted sign in the window?" countered Kurt with a friendly smile.

She nodded and walked around to the side of the counter so that they would be out of the way. Kurt followed her from his own side. She looked pointedly at the sheet of paper in Kurt's hand when they were standing together.

"Resume?" she asked.

"Uh," stammered Kurt quickly handing her the sheet of paper. "Yes, here it is."

Taking the sheet from Kurt, she scanned it over quickly before gesturing for him to follow her into the back. Kurt quickly followed her, feeling a strange sense of déjà vu as if he were following a certain cheerleading coach into her office back in his high school days. This woman had a similar air to her, though, so far, she seemed to emit less insults.

"Kurt Hummel," said the woman after they were in her make-shift office which was really just a small table pushed up against the corner of the supply room with a messy bulletin board hanging on the wall just above it. "Not a lot of work experience listed on here."

Kurt bit his lip and nodded when she looked up from the paper to regard him.

"But," she continued after the pause. "You really don't need a whole lot of work experience to work here. If you're literate, able to follow directions, and not a complete dumbass, you'll do just fine."

Kurt bit back a smile.

"I think I can live up to those requirements," he said.

"We actually hired someone for the spot yesterday," she said, pulling open a short filing cabinet sat under the table and pulling out a sheet of paper that looked like an employee list. "But they flaked on us this morning and now we're short staffed today."

Kurt watched with quelled optimism as she scribbled down his contact information on the side of the sheet, copied from his resume.

"The job pays minimum wage but there's chances for raises if you work hard," she continued, shoving the employee list back into the folder she had pulled it from before flipping through the folders in the drawer and shoving Kurt's resume into another. "You get slightly fewer hours than full time because the owner ain't paying no benefits to employees of a damn _coffee shop_, not that I blame her. I make the schedule a week to two weeks in advance, so if you need certain days off, you gotta give me a heads up, otherwise you can find someone else to cover for you on your own. Still interested?"

"Yes," replied Kurt, he was going to say more but she nodded and continued.

"You get two shifts of training and then you're on your own. It isn't hard work, but there are things you need to know and remember. Since we're short-staffed today, would you like to start now?"

"Oh," exhaled Kurt in surprise. "Uh, yeah, sure, that'd be... great, actually."

"I'm Pam, by the way," she said, shoving a thin hand with colourful, manicured fingernails in his direction.

"Good to meet you, Pam," stuttered Kurt, shaking her hand. "Can I just make a quick call before we get started?"

"Sure," she said with a shrug. "I'll just get some paper work ready."

Kurt pulled his cell from his messenger bag and stepped a few steps away from her for the sake of some sort of play at privacy in the tiny back room of Café Noir. He tapped his foot nervously as he waited for Rachel to answer her cell.

"Hello, Rachel Berry speaking," came her chipper voice.

"Rachel," whispered Kurt. "It's a cell phone, you have caller ID, and so you knew it was me calling."

"Yes, and?" asked Rachel.

"Nevermind," sighed Kurt before continuing. "You said you were planning on being home all day, right?"

"Yes," answered Rachel.

"Can you make sure Blaine gets some lunch?" asked Kurt, glancing back at Pam who was shuffling through some papers she had pulled from the filing cabinet. "I probably won't be home for a few hours."

"No problem," replied Rachel, a smile in her voice. "He's been helping me with me lines."

"Umm... right," responded Kurt, wondering how _Blaine_ could help with _lines._ "I'll be home later. Talk to you soon."

"Bye, love," chirped Rachel right before hanging up without giving Kurt a chance to respond.

He pulled his cell away from his ear and gave it an incredulous look as if it could see and respond to his facial expression before putting it back into his bag.

"Ready?" asked Pam, looking up at him from her papers.

"Yep," answered Kurt with a smile.

"First we need to get some paperwork out of the way," she said as she leaned over the desk to read over the paper she had in front of her. "Do you know your Social Security Number?"


	11. Chapter 10

****Title:**** Why I Feel This Way**  
><strong>Pairings<strong>: **Kurt/Blaine**  
><strong>Rating<strong>: **R**  
><strong>Warnings:<strong> **Pet!Blaine (_and all that pertains to that_)**  
><strong>Note<strong>: **This story is the SEQUEL to Man's Best Friend

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Ten<br>**

* * *

><p>Once the paperwork for hiring Kurt was in order, Pam had taken him on a short tour of the cafe to show him the things he needed to be acquainted with starting at the back and working forward. She showed him how the storage room was organized, the back door where they accepted deliveries and where they took the garbage out to the large green dumpster in the alley, the hooks where the aprons were hung, and the schedule where they wrote their hours next to their names each day for payroll.<p>

Then, they stepped into the front of the store where she showed him everything behind the front counter. She showed him the small refrigerator, the machines, the counter where they baked their goods, the cash register and so many things that Kurt wasn't sure if he would remember half of them. At seeing the dazed look on his face, Pam had assured him that this was just an overview and everything would end up being covered more thoroughly as he learned the ropes.

While his first hour on shift had been the detailed tour, his second was spent simply shadowing the girl who was working the counter when Kurt had first arrived that morning. He was informed that her name was Danielle and that he was to watch her and learn. Pam had other work to do but she stood next to him for the first fifteen minutes and explained things quietly to him like a running commentary as Danielle interacted with the customers at the counter and bustled around behind to get their orders ready. They really were short-staffed, but it was a fairly quiet day so far.

Pam returned later and went over with Kurt how to work the till. She told him how to greet customers and to take orders as well as how to use the cash register. She stood next to him when a customer approached and coached him through a transaction. Once the customer had their coffee in hand, she nodded approvingly to Kurt and left him out front with Danielle. He needed a lot of instruction at first but as the rest of his first shift went by he started to feel like he was catching on to the rhythm of the job.

It was just as Danielle was suggesting he try to help a few customers on his own so she could go wash tables that a person with a familiar face stepped into the store. Mr. Gabriner walked up to the counter and grinned broadly as he recognized Kurt.

"Well, hello to you," he said brightly.

"Good Afternoon," replied Kurt, managing a smile though he wanted to run and hide in embarrassment. "Welcome to Cafe Noir, what can I get you?"

Mr. Gabriner raised an eyebrow but decided to play along while he ordered. He glanced over the menu written in white on black where it hung on the back wall over Kurt's shoulder, even though he was the sort to order the same thing every time. Finally, he let out a breath and told Kurt what he wanted, placing his money in the exact amount of change on the counter between them.

"So, you work here, too," commented Mr. Gabriner giving Kurt a mischievous grin now that his order had been placed and he felt he could break the charade.

"My first day, actually," replied Kurt exhaling the breath he didn't realize he had been holding and reaching to take the change from the counter before ringing in the order. "Needed to pay rent and none of the places I applied at were calling back."

"Ah, well, few are hiring right now it seems," offered Mr. Gabriner with a wink. "Maybe you'll like it here."

Kurt shot him a smile before his professor turned to go find a table.

"I apologize if my interest in your friend Blaine has made you uncomfortable," spoke Mr. Gabriner when Kurt approached him a few minutes later with his coffee.

"Uncomfortable," repeated Kurt with a small frown as he set the mug and saucer down on the table in front of the man. "What would give you that impression?"

Mr. Gabriner just laughed. Kurt let out a sigh and plopped down in the seat next to him. The cafe was empty of customers besides Mr. Gabriner and one other person at the moment, anyway.

"I'm transparent," grumbled Kurt.

Smirking, Mr. Gabriner gave him a slight nod in confirmation before taking a sip of his coffee.

"So, what were the other places you applied at?" asked Mr. Gabriner as he cradled his mug between his hands in front of his face, breathing in the warm smell of the coffee.

"A few high end clothing stores downtown," replied Kurt with a shrug.

"I guess my past experience of working at an Auto and Tire shop wasn't exactly what they were looking for," explained Kurt with an edge of sarcasm.

"I guess," answered Mr. Gabriner with a twinkle in his eye, not commenting on how strange it would be to imagine Kurt working in such a place (to Kurt's surprise). "Does Blaine work? Or do you have to pay all the bills?"

"Kind of hard for him to get a job with his whole... erm... not speaking thing," replied Kurt, face flushing because there was more to it than that. "But I have another roommate who helps with rent."

"I see, I see," nodded Mr. Gabriner. "Well, I have a confession slash opportunity for you and Blaine."

Kurt looked up from where he had clasped his hands nervously in his lap, a quizzical expression on his face.

"I have a solo exhibit next month that I've been preparing for," explained Mr Gabriner, setting his cup of coffee down on its saucer on the table so he could gesture with his hands. "It's kind of a different sort of art show for me –well, I try to be different every time, but this... this is something entirely different. In any case, I still have a few more pieces I'd like to do before the show and the reason I've been so interested in Blaine is that I think he would be a perfect model for them. So, if he's interested... I would love to hire him for a few model sittings."

"Oh," was all Kurt could think to say.

"Yeah, oh," laughed Mr. Gabriner shaking his head at the expression on Kurt's face. "And I promise it isn't anything like those artist and model pornos, not that I've ever seen one."

Kurt sputtered out a half-choked laugh.

"I pay my other models $50 an hour to sit for my paintings, but this will be a little bit different," continued Mr. Gabriner, a thoughtful look on his face. "But I think it could work out to being about the same."

"Wow," exclaimed Kurt, his eyes widening. "That's... wow. I didn't realize artist models were paid so well."

"Why do you think Paintings cost so damn much?" laughed Mr. Gabriner.

Kurt chuckled softly and Mr. Gabriner took a drink of his coffee.

"You know, if you ever need any cash during the school year," said Mr. Gabriner, a playfully evil smirk on his face. "The college pays a similar wage to their models for their art classes. Of course, you'll go into the cafeteria every day at lunch knowing that all the art students know what you look like naked but it's good pay."

Kurt laughed.

"I don't usually eat in the cafeteria anyway," he said with a shrug.

"I need to finish up these pieces over the next week or so," said Mr. Gabriner after a short pause to take a few sips of his coffee. "Talk to Blaine and, if he's interested, let me know."

Mr. Gabriner took his wallet out of his bag and pulled out a business card with his phone number on it to offer it to Kurt.

"Sure," said Kurt taking the card. "Well, I should get back to the counter before I get in trouble."

"Don't want to get in trouble on your first shift," offered Mr. Gabriner with a nod and grin.

Kurt was tired when he got home after his first shift at Cafe Noir. His brain felt mushy and numbed from having to take on so much new information and he couldn't help but feel a little claustrophobic with the sudden leap between having a clear calendar and having a full-time job. All in all, though, he was pleased. He had a job and soon would be getting a regular pay cheque; it felt like a weight had been lifted from his chest even with the new burden of his work schedule.

Blaine was waiting for him when he returned but it was obvious to Kurt from the way he remained seated on the couch that he was trying his best not to look overly excited when Kurt stepped into the apartment. Kurt frowned momentarily as the memory of Blaine waiting excitedly for him to arrive home from school flooded his thoughts. Blaine hadn't cared back then whether he came off as needy, he hadn't had too much pride to come bounding to the door grinning like a fool. He would follow Kurt around the house even while Kurt continually snapped at him and shot him down. Things had changed.

"Hi, Blaine," called out Kurt as enthusiastically as he could muster before stepping into the living room.

Rachel was asleep in the rocking chair, her head resting in one folded arm, her body bent in an uncomfortable position and her pages of lines from her play sitting on the floor just below where her open hand was hanging. Kurt smiled softly at her before looking back at Blaine. He posture was stiff and his eyes bright as he stared back at Kurt, like he was holding himself back from lunging at him in a child-like manner.

"Did you have a good day with Rachel?" asked Kurt, pulling the strap of his bag off his shoulder and letting it fall beside the coffee table.

Frowning, Blaine looked up at him with searching eyes. Kurt plunked down on the couch next to Blaine with a soft sigh.

"I keep leaving you," said Kurt, glancing sideways at Blaine but facing ahead. "Is that what that face is for?"

Kurt reached between them, touching Blaine's dark hair. It was starting to grow; starting to look more like the messy curls Kurt had loved tangling his fingers in. Blaine let out a barely audible sigh as Kurt ran his fingers through his hair, bending down to give him better access.

"I got a job today, Blaine," explained Kurt. "Which is good because I was starting to get really worried about rent payment at the end of the month. The only thing is that I won't be home as much."

Kurt marvelled at how quickly Blaine's walls were coming down at his mere touch, maybe he had been approaching things all wrong since bringing Blaine home. He hadn't wanted to pressure anything out of Blaine with expectant touches and unexplained closeness. It was hard not being able to simply talk about what both wanted from their second chance at having a relationship. Blaine had seemed so confused, so lost, so unsure of himself.

"I don't think it is fair to expect you just to wait around for me to come home every day," continued Kurt. "But for now, I don't really know what else there is, so, you'll just have to get used to amusing yourself during my shifts."

"Kurt?" mumbled Rachel in question as she began to stir on the rocking chair.

Right, Rachel had fallen asleep in the chair. She had looked so uncomfortable in her position that Kurt had thought of moving her, but hadn't gotten past the thought before busying himself in thoughts of Blaine. Oh well.

"Hi," replied Kurt, looking over at where Rachel was straightening in the chair.

She tried to inconspicuously wiping at her mouth with the back of her hand, but it hadn't escaped Kurt's notice. He snickered to himself. Rachel grumbled.

"You were gone a long time," she said conversationally before leaning down to retrieve her lines from the floor where they must have slipped from her grasp when sleep overtook her.

"They hired me and wanted me to start immediately," said Kurt, flashing a small grin before continuing with a mock air of dignity. "I just got off my first shift at Cafe Noir."

"That's great, Kurt," exclaimed Rachel, brightening.

"How was your afternoon?" asked Kurt, looking between Blaine and Rachel like he was addressing them both.

"It was lovely," replied Rachel with a warm smile. "We had fun, didn't we Blaine?"

Blaine looked over at Rachel, cocking his head to the side with a neutral expression.

"We made lunch and ate it in here as a picnic," said Rachel, filling Kurt in on their activities. "Then Blaine helped me with my lines for the play. We took a break to watch some TV and then we went back to working on my lines... but... I seem to have fallen asleep... sorry, Blaine."

Kurt smiled bemusedly as Rachel placed her hand to her heart and offered her most sincere, albeit dramatic, apologies to Blaine. Kurt patted Blaine's thigh just above his knee as Blaine glanced between Rachel and Kurt in confusion at Rachel's behavior.

"I'm going to go wash up," said Kurt, moving to stand. "Shall I make us dinner?"

"That'd be lovely," replied Rachel with a smile.

Kurt nodded and grabbed his bag before moving to leave the room.

"You should tone it down with him, Rachel," called Kurt over his shoulder with a short laugh. "He doesn't know what you're saying; he only reads your facial expressions and tone."

"Yes," responded Rachel from the living room. "Which is why it would be good to enunciate my expressions, don't you think?"

"Not when you dramatize them completely out of context," Kurt called back, almost to his bedroom by then.

Kurt grinned when he heard the affronted gasp from the living room.

"_Enunciate her expressions_" Kurt muttered to himself shaking his head and rolling his eyes as he placed his bag on his bed and pulled off his cardigan.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** I feel like answering Pet!Blaine questions today. So, if you guys have any Man's Best Friend and Why I Feel This Way questions, feel free to _insert_ them into my_ Ask_ over on tumblr. _idareu2bme(DOT)tumblr(DOT)com_


	12. Chapter 11

****Title:**** Why I Feel This Way**  
><strong>Pairings<strong>: **Kurt/Blaine**  
><strong>Rating<strong>: **R**  
><strong>Warnings:<strong> **Pet!Blaine (_and all that pertains to that_)**  
><strong>Note<strong>: **This story is the SEQUEL to **Man's Best Friend**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Eleven<br>**

* * *

><p>When Kurt felt more himself and less like a coffee house scone, he made his way to the kitchen to make supper for the three of them. Blaine was quick to join him, obviously craving his company after enduring an afternoon of his absence. Kurt opening the refrigerator and gave it a contemplative once over before deciding on what they would eat for supper. Deciding on stuffed peppers, he pulled three red peppers out of the crisper and set them on the counter.<p>

"You can wash these peppers," he directed Blaine.

The command was simple to make it easier for Blaine to pull out words he recognized. Kurt watched Blaine out of the corner of his eye while he pretended to concentrating on his rifling in the fridge. It was obvious the wheels in Blaine's head were turning as he picked up a red pepper and stared at it. Finally, he connected the dots and took the peppers over to the sink to wash them. Kurt had quickly pulled out some leeks, shallots, and garlic from the fridge by the time Blaine had finished.

"Good," said Kurt, grinning at Blaine. "Thank you, Blaine. You can wash these, too."

Kurt handed him the shallots and leek before getting a cutting board out and working at carefully cutting away the top stems of the peppers and removing their seeds. He sliced a thin segment from the bottom of the peppers so they could stand upright and then placed them in a casserole dish. Blaine had finished washing and was watching Kurt with interest. It gave Kurt an idea.

"We need to chop these up," said Kurt pointing at the leeks and shallots Blaine had set back down on the counter.

He placed them on the cutting board and began chopping them very slowly so Blaine could see what he was doing.

"Like this," said Kurt as he slid the knife through the vegetables a few more times before setting it down and motioning Blaine closer. "Your turn."

Blaine gave Kurt a nervous look before gingerly reaching for the knife. Kurt held his breath as Blaine awkwardly held the hand in his right hand and rolled a leek into position on the cutting board. He sliced through it and then looked up at Kurt for confirmation. Kurt grinned at him and nodded. Blaine smiled nervously and looked back down at the cutting board. He cut a few more segments of the leek before looking back at Kurt again.

"Good," said Kurt, nodding. "Keep going."

Kurt showed him to turn the knife and cut the segments a second time so they would be cut into small enough pieces for the stuffed peppers. He left Blaine to continue cutting the leeks and shallots by himself. He was slow and awkward at it. Kurt probably would have had everything properly cut by then, but Blaine was learning which made Kurt happy to indulge him the time.

Kurt pulled out a can of corn from the cupboard and a few other items before placing a frying pan on the stove. Humming a song to himself as he worked, Kurt happily listened to the sound of Blaine chopping at the counter behind him. This could work. Blaine could learn simple tasks like this and they could work together making meals or cleaning house or whatever and it could feel domestic. Kurt felt his heart swell in his chest at the thought. Blaine was so smart for a tasker. Suddenly, he was pulled from his daydreams. He turned sharply when he heard the knife clatter to the counter.

"Blaine?" he questioned as he stepped across the small kitchen.

Blaine looked up at him with big hazel eyes and a bewildered expression. He turned his eyes back to the cutting board and Kurt followed his gaze to see large red droplets spreading across the damp plastic.

"Blaine!" gasped out Kurt, quickly reaching for Blaine's hand. "_Lemmesee_!"

He grabbed Blaine by the wrist and turned his hand over to check the damage. It was hard to discern the depth or size of the cut because of the amount of blood. Kurt pulled Blaine over to the sink and turned on the cold water. Blaine let out a sudden hiss, his mystified expression turning to one of pain as the cold water made contact with his cut. He tried to pull his hand out from under the water but Kurt held it there.

"I'm so sorry, Blaine," exclaimed Kurt as he watched red swirl with the water in the bottom of the sink. "I shouldn't have had you use the knife."

Kurt stretched his body to reach for the paper towel with his free hand without letting go of Blaine's wrist. He pulled Blaine's hand out from the stream and quickly pressed the paper towel over the cuts. Blaine winced at the pressure but let him. Kurt was about to reach to turn off the water when Rachel's hand appeared in his view to do just that.

"Is he alright?" she asked after turning off the tap.

"I think it is just a small cut," answered Kurt in a shaky voice as he watched the paper towel slowly begin to colour.

"Go patch him up, I'll deal with dinner," commanded Rachel with a soft smile before turning from them to take control of the kitchen.

"Thanks," said Kurt before leading Blaine out of the room.

He could feel tears prickling in his eyes as he directed Blaine into the bathroom and had him sit down on the closed lid of the toilet. He pulled the paper towel away from Blaine's fingers to look at the four cuts that connected in a straight line across the tops of his fingers just below their first knuckles. They weren't very deep; Blaine probably pulled the knife away fairly quickly at the initial sensation.

"G*d, Blaine," sighed out Kurt in a choked voice. "You have to be more careful."

Kurt opened the mirror covered medicine cabinet over the sink and pulled out a box of band-aids. He knelt on the floor in front of Blaine and set to work wrapping a small adhesive bandage around each of Blaine's injured digits. When he was done he leaned his forehead against Blaine's knee and let out a shaky breath. He stayed in that position for a while just willing himself to breathe. Blaine wasn't hurt that badly, but Kurt's excited thoughts of how things _could be_ were shattered.

"I'm sorry, Blaine," said Kurt when he finally found his voice again. "None of this is fair to you."

His shoulders shook a little with soundless sobs as he worked to hold them in. Nothing was working. How was it supposed to? Kurt, ever the romantic, had somehow convinced himself that this could work if he just loved hard enough. Despite all the odds being against them, Kurt had just _known_ they were meant to be together, that it would work... they would find ways to make it work. But it wasn't working. Blaine was so different. Even though the awkward walls that had been keeping them from each other had been knocked down by an impromptu bath make-out session, things still weren't how they were before. Reality was hitting hard and relentless. There was no future with Blaine, how could there be?

Kurt's eyes welled up with tears when he felt Blaine's hands cup both sides of his face. He looked up as Blaine guided his head up from his knees and ducked to make eye contact. Blaine's brow was furrowed in concern, a frown marring the features of his sweet face. A few soft sobs escaped from Kurt's throat and Blaine quickly moved to engulf him in a tight hug.

"What are we going to do, Blaine?" asked Kurt through his bitter tears.

* * *

><p>It had taken Kurt a few minutes of being held and rocked by Blaine before he had his wits about him enough to leave the bathroom. The stuffed peppers were in the oven and Rachel was cleaning up the kitchen when they returned.<p>

"How is your hand?" asked Rachel, reaching for Blaine.

She clicked her tongue when she saw the four band-aids. Kurt frowned miserably.

"Oh well," she said allowed Blaine his hand back. "Accidents happen and now you know... knives are _sharp_."

Rachel grinned at Blaine as she said the last three words in an exaggerated tone as if they had just discovered a well-kept secret. Kurt wanted to roll his eyes but his face wasn't really cooperating with him yet and he didn't want the attempt at movement to result in more waterworks.

"Dinner will be ready in twenty minutes, or so," she said and then began pushing Blaine lightly toward the living room.

She sat him on the couch and turned on the television with the remote control before placing it in Blaine's hands.

"Thank you for helping with dinner, Blaine," she said brightly. "Now, you just relax and Kurt and I will set the table."

She turned from Blaine, then, and regarded Kurt who was still standing in the dining room.

"Help me set the table," she said before whisking past him to start getting out the plates in the kitchen.

"Err... okay," answered Kurt wondering what she was up to.

"Don't even pretend for one minute that you didn't just spend the last fifteen minutes crying in the bathroom," she whispered at him as she placed the stack of three plates in his hands.

Kurt remained silent as he held the plates, a defiant look crossing his face. Rachel gave him an exasperated look as she placed a handful of cutlery on top of the plates he was holding.

"Tell me what's going on," she demanded.

Kurt sighed.

"I had a realization, I guess," he answered dejectedly.

"About you and Blaine?" she asked, reaching on tippy toes to pull down three wine glasses from the top shelf of the cabinets.

"About me and Blaine," confirmed Kurt.

Kurt followed Rachel as she left the kitchen to set the wineglasses down on the dining table. Silently, Kurt set out the plates and arranged the forks and knives around them. He looked up when he felt Rachel's accusing eyes on him.

"What?" he asked.

"Are you going to tell me about it?" asked Rachel impatiently.

"No," replied Kurt.

Rachel let out a huff of air in frustration.

"Kurt, need I remind you that..." she began to rant in a way that was much more like the Rachel he grew up with.

"Rachel, stop," Kurt sighed. "I realized that this thing with Blaine isn't going to work, okay?"

Kurt's fragile brave face began to crumble as he spoke almost as fast as Rachel's expression of annoyance changed to sympathy.

"Oh, Kurt," she exhaled, quickly moving around the table so she could throw her arms around his neck.

Kurt let out a watery hiccup that was half sob and half laugh.

"It isn't the end of the world, Rachel," he tried.

But Rachel shook her head and just held him for a few beats longer.

"I didn't really know Blaine when I said those things, you know," said Rachel, squeezing him tighter before letting go and pulling back. "I've gotten to know him a bit better recently and... Kurt... he's really special."

"I know," whispered Kurt. "That's why I can't hurt him with this."

"It's a little late for that," replied Rachel with a frown.

Kurt grimaced.

"What are you going to do?" she asked.

"I don't know," said Kurt, turning away from Rachel's face. "Maybe Dad would take him. He could help him in the shop."

"Kurt," said Rachel.

The stern lilt of her voice caused Kurt to turn and blink at her.

"You're freaking out because Blaine cut himself," she deadpanned. "Everyone has cut themselves when cutting vegetables at least once in their life. He's learning and he'll continue to learn if you just give him the chance."

"Of course," replied Kurt. "I taught him to do an oil change back in high school; I_ know_ he can learn, Rachel."

"So, what is this?" asked Rachel gesturing vaguely towards him. "And who were you out with the other night? What's going on in that fabulous head of yours?"

"I don't know," replied Kurt in a frustrated hiss of breath. "I don't _know_."

"Well, figure it out," she replied firmly. "_Without_ taking it out on Blaine."

Kurt's mouth dropped open at Rachel's words. He remained stationary as he watched her head back into the kitchen to check on the food. He shut his mouth with an audible clank and glowered at the place she had been standing seconds before. She thought he was being selfish. He clenched his teeth. How dare she judge him for this? This was a really hard position to be in. He'd like to see her manage it in his place with any more grace.

"Dinner's ready," Rachel called out moments later in a faux light-hearted tone.

* * *

><p>That night Kurt fell asleep with Blaine curled up next to him.<p>

* * *

><p>The next morning Kurt got up early for his second shift of training at Cafe Noir. He had a quick shower, meticulously shaved and moisturized his face, and, after getting dresses, set to work styling his hair. It was freeing to go through such routine-like motions where he didn't have to think. He ate cold cereal with milk and an orange for breakfast. He thought about making himself a cup of coffee but decided he really didn't need to considering he was about to spend the morning in a coffee shop. He hoped he wouldn't tire of the smell of coffee from his time working there.<p>

Rachel was just coming out of her bedroom with a folded towel under one arm after finishing her routine morning exercise-bike ride. She flashed him a bright smile which he grudgingly returned.

"I'm headed to work," he said as he continued on his way to the entry to slip on his shoes and grab his bag.

"Have fun," replied Rachel brightly before disappearing into the bathroom to shower.

He trusted her to feed Blaine who still hadn't gotten out of bed, the lazy ass. Kurt smiled softly at the mental picture of Blaine pulling the blankets into another cocoon now that he had the bed to himself. He pulled open the apartment door and stepped out, ready for his second shift as a barista in training.


	13. Chapter 12

****Title:**** Why I Feel This Way**  
><strong>Pairings<strong>: **Kurt/Blaine**  
><strong>Rating<strong>: **R**  
><strong>Warnings:<strong> **Pet!Blaine,** Finchel**, typos and grammatical mistakes**  
><strong>Note<strong>: **This story is the SEQUEL to **Man's Best Friend**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Twelve<br>**

* * *

><p>When Kurt arrived home from his second shift he was surprised to find a dark apartment. Dropping his keys on the little hall table, Kurt stepped out of his shoes and arranged them in the closet before walking further into the apartment.<p>

"Blaine?" he called out before stopping short.

Blaine was sitting on the living room couch in the dark, holding a softly crying Rachel. He frowned at Kurt and continued to stroke Rachel's hair while he slowly rocked her in his arms. Confused Concern taking over, Kurt dropped his bag to the floor and moved to sit down next to them on the couch.

"What happened?" asked Kurt, looking from Blaine to Rachel.

After a few more moments of soft crying, Rachel was able to get a hold of herself enough to lift her face from Blaine's collarbone and focus her wet eyes on Kurt. She left out a little hiccup of a sob, her brown furrowed and her mouth twisting into a self-deprecating smile.

"I talked to Finn," she managed.

Kurt didn't say anything. He knew that most of the reasoning behind Finn wanting to fly out to visit was so he and Rachel could try to work things out. They had been pretty solid for Senior year of highschool but when Rachel had asked him to follow her to New York (well, more like simply expected him to do so) and he had declined, their relationship flopped. That single moment had rendered all the work and love they had put into an arguably rocky relationship null. They didn't talk for that whole first year, but both asking Kurt how the other was doing from time to time. It was obvious to Kurt that they still loved each other, but he had chosen to stay out of it as much as his situation would allow.

They had randomly (perhaps it wasn't random to them, but it had seemed so to Kurt) started talking again right before the end of Kurt and Rachel's first year of college. Quickly, an email here or a text message there had turned into numerous texting almost every day. Finn still wasn't sure what he wanted to do with his life, but he knew that he still wanted Rachel in it. They were going to try to get back together and Finn's planned trip out to visit Kurt was the perfect time.

"He's not going to come," she hiccuped as fresh tears began to well in her eyes. "He said... to tell you... he's sorry."

New sobs began to shaking Rachel's small frame and she fell back into Blaine with enough force to make his eyes widen and his breath catch as if she had almost knocked the wind out of him. He hugged her close, regardless, and went back to stroking a hand through her hair.

"I'm sorry, Rachel," said Kurt softly.

"I hate Jesse St. James _so much_ right now," exclaimed Rachel miserably voice much shriller than her usual.

Kurt knew that Rachel blamed herself more than she blamed Jesse, so he didn't need to point out that this wasn't just Jesse St. James' fault, plus, it would be a pretty asshole thing to do. He made a soft cooing sound but didn't say anything. There was nothing to say. Rachel had screwed up and what was already a delicate bond reforming between her and Finn had just suffered a terrible blow.

It was probably twice as bad that the person she had slept with was one who had so much baggage with them and their previous relationship. Finn had wanted Rachel when Jesse had her. He had been forced to watch Jesse humiliate her and break her heart. Then, later, Jesse had shown up again wanting her back. He had been mean to Finn, using his personal insecurities against him and Rachel had absolutely _preened_ under Jesse's attention. Knowing that it had been Jesse, of all people, to screw things up for them when they had a chance at reuniting was probably killing Finn.

But Kurt didn't want to be involved. He couldn't take sides between his roommate and best friend and his brother, and he was not about to be used as the mediator. He would try to soothe Rachel, but he was _not_ going to get involved.

"I think this calls for some cheesecake," said Kurt.

Rachel raised her head from Blaine's shoulder to give Kurt a pointed look, but it only managed to appear pathetic with her red-rimmed eyes and tear tracks.

"_Vegan_ cheesecake," amended Kurt with a sigh. "The things I do for you, Rachel."

He patted her knee and stood.

"I won't take long," called Kurt as he picked up his bag and went back to the apartment door to slip on his shoes and grab his keys.

* * *

><p>Kurt waited in line at the busy little vegetarianvegan coffee shop and bakery in their little section of New York City. They had a wall of cookbooks and other Vegan and Vegetarian lifestyle books, as well as a section of fair-trade goods for sale beyond the coffee shop and bakery. It was a popular place and, despite its small size, served a large amount of patrons every day. It was always busy. A ping from Kurt's bag alerted him to a text message.

Shawn: **Thanks for the other night!**

Kurt was about to hit reply on the touch-screen when another ping sounded from his phone and a new text message came in.

Shawn: **Can we still meet for coffee? Or does the night out count as my allotted Kurt Hummel Time?**

"Allotted Kurt Hummel Time," whispered Kurt out loud with a small laugh.

He touched the reply button on the screen and typed out a response saying he enjoyed the night out and would consider allowing Shawn a little extra 'Kurt Hummel Time' than his allotted. It earned him an enthusiastic response complete with too many smiley emoticons. Kurt laughed to himself, imagining the cute puppy-dog expression on Shawn's face as he typed it out. Kurt had another shift the next day, so asked Shawn to meet him at Cafe Noir during his lunch break.

* * *

><p>When Kurt returned home, Rachel and Blaine were still on the couch. This time, though, Rachel was quiet. Blaine was still holding her, but her body was lax and her tears long dried up. Kurt smiled at Blaine from the end of the hall but suddenly froze. Blaine was humming.<p>

_Blaine_ was _humming_.

Kurt's breath caught in his throat and he nearly dropped the cheesecake box in his hand. He stood stuck to the spot for a minute or more just listening to Blaine hum. It just might have been the most beautiful thing he had ever heard. The part that made his heart clench in his chest was when he realized Blaine was attempting the harmony of the lullaby Kurt had introduced him to –the one his mom used to sing to him when he was little.

He could feel tears beginning to sting his eyes and quietly cleared his throat of the lump building in it before heading into the kitchen with the cheesecake. He set the box down on the counter. Leaning against the countertop, he took a few deep breaths in an attempt to will away the sudden onslaught of emotion forcing its way up his throat.

After steeling himself, Kurt pulled out three dessert plates and forks and a cake server. He pulled the cheesecake from the traditional pink bakery box and cut a piece for each of them. For a millisecond, when he stepped back into the living room with the three plates in balanced in his hand, he considered feeling jealous that Blaine would sit and comfort Rachel, that he would hum Kurt's song to her while he petted her hair. It only took a millisecond for him to decide against feeling that way, though. Instead, he found himself feeling some akin to pride.

He carefully set the plates on the coffee table in front of them and then sat down on the couch next to Rachel so that she was sandwiched between the two young men. With a little smile, Rachel sat up and gave Kurt a quick squeeze before reaching for a plate of cheesecake.

"Thank you, Kurt," she said softly, her voice still a little hoarse.

She used the side of her fork to cut herself a piece from her cake before scooping it up with the fork and popping it into her mouth. She let out a small hum of enjoyment.

"I'm sorry," she spoke again after a few more bites. "I don't get to be like this. This is my fault. I don't deserve you or Blaine right now, I deserve to be miserable."

"Hey," said Kurt, touching her chin to get her to look him in the eye. "We're your friends; of course we're here for you when you're sad."

"Heartbroken," corrected Rachel with a big sigh that Kurt would normally point out as overly-dramatic but in the current situation, it was actually fitting.

"Heartbroken," amended Kurt with a little nod before reaching for his own plate of cheesecake.

"Blaine," said Rachel, turning from Kurt to look at him. "Have some cake."

She gestured at his plate sitting on the coffee table and gave him an expectant look. He gingerly reached for it. Balancing it precariously on his knees, he awkwardly worked the fork over it to get a slice into his mouth. He grinned happily after getting his first taste, making a low sound in the back of his throat as a way to voice his approval of the taste. Kurt grinned.

They enjoyed their cake in companionable silence. Kurt quickly decided it was one of those special occasions where it would be okay if they had a second slice. So, when they were finished their first pieces, he took their plates and quickly returned with seconds.

"I know what to do," said Rachel when she had finished her second slice.

She set her plate down on the coffee table and jumped up from the couch before fleeing the room. Blaine looked over to Kurt in confusion but Kurt just shrugged. She came back a few minutes later with her iPod and set it in the small dock on the living room shelf.

"This isn't my usual _repertoire__, but I just thought of the perfect song for our situations," she said brightly to Kurt as she turned on the music and stood in the middle of the room facing Blaine and Kurt. _

_"__Our__ situations?"asked Kurt, raising an eyebrow._

_"Your breakdown last night," explained Rachel as if it were obvious. "My break down this afternoon. We're both heartbroken over confusing relationships, Kurt, and I find it helpful to sing about my feelings."_

_"I'm sure Blaine has similar feelings, too," she added just as the soft guitar strings of the song began to fill the room. _

Kurt wanted to be mortified that Rachel was about to give them an impromptu performance in their own apartment, but at this point in his friendship with Rachel, he knew to expect such things. Besides, he was too busy being surprised at her song choice as he listened to the soothing guitar.

_On the wind_

_Take hold of the tiger's tail_

_It's tragic when first love dies_

_Religious when stars collide_

_When it hurts_

_Don't let go_

_Give up hope_

_As we're falling back down to the earth_

_Lightning fails_

_We all know_

_That no one can lead us back home_

_Open wide _

_Invite all the world inside_

_Never was hard to take_

_ The pleasure has been all mine _

Kurt glanced sideways at Blaine as Rachel hit the chorus, pouring her emotions into the song even while keeping her voice soft instead of belting. Blaine was enamoured. Kurt realized in that moment that Blaine wasn't accustomed to singing, even with Kurt and Finn being members of the school glee club in high school. Since Kurt usually listened to music with his ear buds in, Blaine had hardly been exposed to music of any form.

_When it hurts _

_Don't let go_

_Give up hope_

_As we're falling back down to the earth_

_Lightning fails_

_We all know_

_That no one can lead us back home_

Kurt watched Blaine watch Rachel. He was watching her with bright, wide eyes. When the violins began to play in the background, Blaine closed his eyes and smiled. A soft sigh escaped his partly open lips. Blaine was beautiful like that.

_When it hurts_

_Don't let go_

_Give up hope_

_As we're falling back down to the earth_

_Lightning fails_

_We all know_

_That no one can lead us back home_

_When it hurts_

_Don't let go_

_No one can lead us back home_

Rachel let the song finish and fade out before turning off her iPod and removing it from the dock. She turned around and gave Kurt and Blaine a hopeful smile.

"So?" she asked when neither said anything or made a move to applaud her. "Perfect, right? Do you think it'll help you get through this? I think it will. I feel better already after singing it. Not completely better, obviously. I still have the same problem, but it feels better to sing about things. Perhaps you need to sing something, too. Do you have a song in mind?"

"Thank you, Rachel," Kurt said shortly, cutting through her fast-paced rambling. "I don't think I'll need to sing about it, your song choice was excellent and I think it pretty much covers it."

"Yes, I think so, too," replied Rachel with a bright grin. "I'm glad I found it. Sorry if the performance wasn't my usual 110% but I _have_ been crying for a good part of the afternoon and it was an impromptu performance. Usually, I have a few songs prepared in the case of such performances, but this was not one of the ones on my list."

Rachel frowned thoughtfully after saying that. It took a lot of self control on Kurt's behalf not to roll his eyes when he imagined she was considering adding some new songs to her list of prepared songs for future scenarios. He had to admit, though, the song did feel like it hit fairly close to home for his relationship with Blaine.

"Thank you for being such a good friend, Kurt," she said with a soft, genuine smile. "Blaine, thank you so much, too. I don't know what I would have done without you."

She gave them both hugs starting with Blaine, then grabbed her iPod and swiftly left the room.

* * *

><p><strong>Song was "When it Hurts" by David Usher<strong>


	14. Chapter 13

****Title:**** Why I Feel This Way**  
><strong>Pairings<strong>: **Kurt/Blaine**  
><strong>Rating<strong>: **R**  
><strong>Warnings:<strong> **Pet!Blaine,typos and grammatical mistakes**  
><strong>Note<strong>: **This story is the SEQUEL to **Man's Best Friend**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Thirteen<br>**

* * *

><p>Though Rachel had put on a brave face to sing them her song, once she had disappeared into her bedroom that afternoon, she didn't come back out. Blaine and Kurt ate a late supper together and then cuddled up on Kurt's bed in the comforter to watch a DVD on Kurt's laptop. Blaine rested his head on Kurt's chest and cuddled in close, only giving the movie part of his attention as he took one of Kurt's hands in his own to play with. They fell asleep like that, huddled close on the bed with the laptop in front of them. Kurt woke up later in the night and put the laptop away before carefully arranging Blaine on the bed in a more comfortable way, tucking the blanket around him before crawling in next to him.<p>

Kurt was up early the next morning to get ready for work. He showered, shaved and moisturized before getting dressed in a simplistic but stylish ensemble. Knowing he'd have to wear an apron all day, he limited his layers and accessories. Rachel had play practice that afternoon and, _supposedly_, an actual job interview that morning, so Kurt made Blaine a lunch and set it to one side in the refrigerator before making himself some breakfast. Blaine groggily stumbled out of the bedroom a few minutes before Kurt had to leave for work. Kurt pulled out some cereal for him to have for breakfast before giving him a quick hug and showing him where his lunch sat in the fridge. Then Kurt was stepping into his shoes and out the door leaving Blaine in a quiet apartment to find his own ways to amuse himself for the day.

Kurt felt a pang of guilt as he locked the front door of the apartment. He hated leaving Blaine in lonely silence and it was only going to continue and when classes started back up, it would be even worse. He sighed to himself and got into the apartment elevator that took him down to the main floor. Leaving the building, he started his walk to Cafe Noir.

It was a busy morning and time went by quickly for Kurt as he struggled to remember everything he had been taught in such a short time. Danielle was working with him that morning and helped him a lot, but not without a few frustrated sighs and a couple eye rolls when he would get confused during simple tasks. Kurt tried not to let it get to him, repetition was what he needed to be able to remember everything and with busy mornings like this one, he'd soon have enough repetition to have him filling coffee orders in his sleep.

When another employee arrived to start their 11:00 shift, he was allowed to take his lunch break. He went into the back room and hung up his apron before grabbing the brown paper bag that housed his homemade lunch. When he stepped back out into the front of the shop, Shawn was standing in line for coffee. Kurt smiled brightly at him when his bright green eyes sparkled in his direction. Shawn grinned back and gave him a bubbly little wave.

Kurt found a vacant table by the window and took a seat. He pulled out his container of mushroom rice pilaf that was leftover from his supper the night before. Shawn joined him moments later with a bright smile on his face. Kurt couldn't help but appreciate the tight white jeans Shawn was wearing that day. He was thin and even with such a short stature, quite leggy. His ass, though, was definitely one of his best physical assets.

"How are you, today?" asked Shawn as he took his seat across the small table, he was grinning in a way that told Kurt he had caught him admiring.

"Good and you?" responded Kurt with a polite smile, though he could feel his cheeks pinking as he silently scolded himself for so blatantly checking Shawn out.

"Better, now," replied Shawn a little flirtatiously as he smiled adoringly Kurt's direction.

If they hadn't been flushed with colour before, Kurt's cheeks were definitely pink after the way Shawn had just smiled at him. He couldn't believe someone could possibly be so enamoured with him. He thought back to the night at the club when Nicholas had teasingly given away the fact that Shawn had gushed to him about Kurt before.

"So, Kurt, was this your first year of college?" asked Shawn, probably wondering why Kurt was suddenly looking so awkward.

"Yes," replied Kurt with a nod. "Fresh out of high school."

"Aw, just a baby," teased Shawn before taking a sip of his coffee.

"How about you?" asked Kurt as he dug his fork into his rice.

"Fifth year of academics, but first one at FAIT," replied Shawn with a smile. "I got my degree in journalism first. I want to be a fashion journalist. I'm just getting my diploma in fashion so that I'll know what I'm talking about."

"Wow," replied Kurt with interest. "So, you'll be the paparazzi at the big Paris and Milan runway shows."

Shawn scoffed good-naturedly at Kurt's cheeky 'paparazzi' comment but didn't argue it.

"Paris, London, Milan, Tokyo, New York, Rome," Shawn listed the cities on his fingers with growing excitement. "It'll involve all my favorite things; travel, journalism, and fashion."

Kurt let out a dreamy sigh.

"That will be _amazing_," he replied.

"What about you?" asked Shawn after taking another drink. "What are you in for?"

"Sounds like prison when you say it that way," laughed Kurt. "I'm getting my degree in fashion design and hopefully will be able to work for some high end company. Eventually, though, I want to design my own line."

"That would be amazing, Kurt," exclaimed Shawn with a bright smile. "Perhaps one day I'll be at your show, trying to think of all the synonyms for stunning while I take notes for my review."

"I guess I should butter you up now so that I'll get shining reviews when that happens," replied Kurt with a bright smile.

Kurt faltered for a moment when he realized just how flirtatious he had just come off. He couldn't help but feel flattered by Shawn's interest in him, but he had to keep things nothing by friendly between them. There was Blaine to think about. Shawn must have noticed Kurt's sudden change in mood, because he frowned before lifting his coffee cup to his lips. He cleared his throat nervously after setting his cup back down on the table.

"So," he said, grasping for something to fill the sudden awkward silence. "Have you heard anything through the artsy grapevine about Prof Gabriner's upcoming summer show? He's been keeping the theme under tight wraps this year."

"He asked my... uh... my roommate to model for one of his pieces for it, actually," replied Kurt between bites of his lunch.

"Really?" replied Shawn, his interest piquing. "So, you must know a little something about what he's doing!"

"I don't, actually," replied Kurt with a small smile and a shake of his head. "When he brought up the modeling, though, he said it wouldn't be like a regular sitting."

Shawn hummed thoughtfully at that, tapping his pointer finger to his chin.

"It seems like Mr. Gabriner is kind of popular in the art community," mused Kurt, tilting his head to the side as if asking Shawn to confirm.

Shawn chuckled good-naturedly.

"He's kind of a big deal," he replied. "He's so... so strange. Some people say he's just a goof, but most take him pretty seriously. He usually sells out his shows pretty quick and his pieces sell for quite a lot. We're lucky to have him teaching at our school."

Kurt nodded his head.

"When I was studying at NYU, I was given the opportunity to write a piece about one of Mr. Garbriner's installations that spring. I think it was two springs ago? Anyway, a photo journalist and I were teamed up on the little article," regaled Shawn. "Right as the snow melted, Mr. Garbriner went out to Central Park and gathered up all the garbage that had been uncovered. He tied each piece of garbage to strings and hung them from the trees. It was some sort of statement, I can't remember the explanation he gave me but I'll never get the image of those trees decorated in garbage out of my mind. There was a big tizzy about it in the papers and on the news about it being in bad taste. Anyhow, Mr. Garbriner has always been a bit eccentric but it serves him well."

"Wow," breathed out Kurt, shaking his head and grinning. "I would have loved to see that."

"I'll have to show you my article some time, it's one of the pieces I kept for my portfolio," said Shawn. "Jessica, the photo journalist student who came with me, took some amazing photos of it."

"Have you always lived in New York?" asked Kurt.

Shawn laughed in response, his cheeks pinking a little.

"No, unfortunately," he replied. "I'm actually from South Dakota."

Kurt let out a whistle.

"And I thought Ohio was bad," teased Kurt.

"You have no idea," breathed out Shawn, giving Kurt a mock grave look.

They talked for a while longer, telling each other a little about themselves, talking about shared experiences in college, and making snappy little comments as they people-watched from their table. It was near the end of Kurt's lunch break and he had finished his rice while listening to Shawn complain about his roommate when Kurt's cell began ringing.

"Sorry," said Kurt picking it up to answer.

"Kurt!" exclaimed Rachel the second he answered the call.

"Rachel?" replied Kurt in surprise. "What's wrong?"

"It's Blaine," she said anxiously. "I came home for lunch and we made a lovely Coba, Sesame and Carrot salad. Blaine loved it by the way, you should consider having him go vegan, it would be..."

"The point, Rachel?" cut in Kurt.

"Right, so, we were doing the dishes afterward and playing around with the suds," she explained breathlessly. "I accidently got some in my eye. It was stinging and I was blindly groping around for the towel and I... well, I don't know if that's why he freaked out, it seems so strange for him to get so upset over a little brush of the finger tips, but I just don't know what else it would have been. Kurt! He looked absolutely terrified and the little sob he made before he ran out. I tried to go to him, but he doesn't want me near him."

"Okay, Rachel," said Kurt, the colour effectively drained from his face by that point in the phone call. "I don't know what you're saying, are you trying to tell me that Blaine's hurt?"

"No, no, no," answered Rachel quickly. "Not hurt, just, I don't know... scared, maybe."

"He's okay, though?" asked Kurt, worry tainting his voice. "I'm at work, Rachel."

"I know you're at work, Kurt," sighed Rachel, the worry in her voice obvious. "I really don't know what to do about Blaine, though. He doesn't want me around him since I'm the whole who scared him. He's shut himself in your room and was just trembling when I went to check on him. I have to leave in a bit for play practise but I don't want to leave him like this. Kurt, please? Just say it's a family emergency or something. I know it won't look good with you being so new and all, but he's _trembling_, Kurt."

"I'm coming now," replied Kurt, packing up his lunch container.

"Is everything alright?" asked Shawn when hung up his cell.

Kurt opened his mouth to reply but then realized he didn't know how to explain it to Shawn. He picked up his paper bag and stood from the table.

"No one's dying or anything," Kurt managed. "They just need me at home. I... uh... I'm sorry to just run off like this, Shawn."

"No, that's fine, your lunch break was practically over anyway," replied Shawn, standing from the table, too. "It was really nice spending time with you, Kurt. I hope everything works out at home and with work."

"I don't imagine they'll be impressed with me leaving my third shift early," admitted Kurt.

His nerves about it must have been obvious because Shawn grabbed his shoulder and gave it a little squeeze.

"Everyone has lives outside of work," soothed Shawn with a smile. "I'm sure they'll understand."

Biting his lip nervously, Kurt nodded.

"I'll see you around, Kurt," said Shawn, still smiling.

Kurt nodded again, managing a parting smile. As he watched Shawn leave, he wondered idly if Shawn's face ever hurt from the sheer amount of smiling he did in a day. Then Kurt's treacherous mind asked him if perhaps Shawn only smiled that much when he was around Kurt. He frowned at the thought.

* * *

><p>Kurt's boss had not been impressed when he had told her he had to leave, but she had grudgingly let him go. It was a relief to Kurt when she had asked him if he would still be showing up for his afternoon shift the next day. It meant that she wasn't planning on firing him. Kurt quickly assured her that, yes, he would be for his next shift.<p>

He hurried home at a brisk walk, jogging in places. He arrived in the apartment not long after, out of breath and red in the face. Rachel was waiting for him. She quickly jumped up from where she had been sitting at the dining room table biting her fingernails.

"Where is he?" asked Kurt, kicking off his shoes and dropping his bag to the ground.

"Hiding in your room," she replied.

"Okay, so, what happened?" asked Kurt, staring down the hall towards his bedroom while he waited anxiously for Rachel to explain.

"We were doing dishes and I got soap suds in my eye," replied Rachel, her voice shrill and anxious. "I was groping around for a dish towel or something to dry my face and I accidentally groped _him_."

"He flipped out because you touched his crotch?" asked Kurt in surprise.

"Well, he flipped out after that, so I can only assume," answered Rachel, nodding. "He jumped back and made a sound of surprise. I reached for him to say I was sorry because he just sounded so upset by it, and I ended up bumping his front again. It was one of those comedic moments where the main character keeps making the same mistake over and over again as the audience roars with laughter. By then he was beyond words mortified and upset. I just wanted to tell him I was sorry but I tried to reach for his hand and ended up grabbing his butt. It was epic bad luck."

"And now he is hiding in my room thinking you were trying to... what... get into his pants?" asked Kurt in disbelief.

"I know it sounds ridiculous," replied Rachel, nodding at Kurt's question. "But he looks absolutely terrified, Kurt. He's in there trembling and when I went in to try to make things right, he started sobbing."

"Sobbing?" repeated Kurt in surprise. "Like actual human crying noises?"

Rachel nodded; her brown eyes bright and wide. She looked like she might start crying, herself.

"It will be okay, Rachel," sighed Kurt reaching to pat her arm.

Instead of letting Kurt simply pat her arm, though, she threw her arms around him and gave him a tight hug.

"I feel so awful," she cried out. "The look of betrayal on his face broke my heart, Kurt!"

Kurt awkwardly patted Rachel's back and she squeezed him so tightly that he thought he might lose his breath. When she let him go, he took a step back to keep himself from being taken by surprise again in the case Rachel decided she needed another hug.

"Get ready for play practice," Kurt directed. "I'll worry about Blaine."

Rachel nodded her head, her eyes looking a little moist.

"I'm sorry," she said before heading to her own room.

Kurt took a deep breath and closed his eyes as he slowly let it out through his nose. Once he felt a little more centered, he made his way down the short hall toward his bedroom. He knocked on his bedroom door and called out to Blaine softly before pushing the door open and stepping inside.

* * *

><p><strong>Song in the last chapter was "When it Hurts" by David Usher<strong>


	15. Chapter 14

****Title:**** Why I Feel This Way**  
><strong>Pairings<strong>: **Kurt/Blaine**  
><strong>Rating<strong>: **R**  
><strong>Story Warnings:<strong> **Pet!Blaine**  
><strong>Note<strong>: **This story is the SEQUEL to Man's Best Friend

* * *

><p><strong><em>Chapter Fourteen<br>_**

* * *

><p>Kurt stepped into his bedroom and looked around when he didn't see Blaine immediately. He found him wrapped up in the duvet from his bed and huddled like a frightened animal in the far corner of the room.<p>

"Blaine?" called Kurt softly as he took few tentative steps toward him.

Blaine burrowed his head deeper into the mass of blanket and let out a few shaky sobs. Kurt's heart felt like it was being crushed at the noise and his movement turned from tentative steps to long strides. He was crouching at Blaine's side in milliseconds.

"Blaine," he whispered.

Hazel eyes peeked out from the blanket.

"Hey, baby," cooed Kurt, not sure where the pet name came from but reaching slowly for Blaine, giving him a chance to react to the movement before he was confronted with touch. "Are you okay?"

Blaine's eyes flicked down from Kurt's to his outstretched hands. He took a shuddering breath and then suddenly lunged for Kurt, wrapping his arms tightly around him and pressing his face into Kurt's neck. Kurt sucked in a harsh breath and simply caught and held onto him. Arms clinging desperately to Kurt, Blaine shuffled a few inches on the floor to bring his body closer to Kurt's. His chest was heaving as though he had run a marathon while out of shape and desperately trying to catch his breath. The panic flowing through Blaine's body quickly began to subside with Kurt's anchoring presence, but seeing how affected Blaine was made Kurt's chest clench painfully.

After a few moments of holding onto and being held by Kurt, Blaine must have decided it wasn't enough because he started shuffling closer still. He moved around with his arms still tight around Kurt's back until he could climb into Kurt's lap and press his face into the side of his neck. A lump was forming in Kurt's throat and he had to hold in the sudden feeling of oncoming sobs. He didn't know what was wrong, but he could tell something big was going on in his sweet Blaine's psyche. It hurt to know that Blaine would never be able to tell him, that he could never be allowed to share Blaine's burden with him.

Kurt rocked Blaine from side to side, still holding him tightly though it was beginning to hurt where Blaine's fingers were digging into his back. He hummed a song under his breath and pressed kisses to Blaine's hair. They were pressed so close that Kurt could feel Blaine's heart beating in his chest. He waited while the beating gradually began to slow into something more peaceful. When Blaine was calm, Kurt released him from his hold and began to pull away. Blaine let out a whine and held on even tighter.

"I'm not leaving you," assured Kurt, giving Blaine what he hoped was a comforting smile. "Can we just sit on the bed or something? The floor is uncomfortable."

Kurt pulled free from Blaine even while the dark-haired young man's whine grew in volume. He stood, letting out a small groan at the sensation of stretching muscles and joints. Though Kurt was in shape, they had sat together on the floor with Blaine in Kurt's lap for quite some time and he was stiff. Kurt grabbed up the duvet and tossed it onto his bed before reaching for Blaine's hand. Blaine reached for him instantly and allowed Kurt to guide him to the bed.

They lay down together, cuddling close as they faced each other. Kurt smiled softly at Blaine and gently ran his fingertips over the side of his face. Blaine closed his eyes at the sensation and let out a soft sigh. It didn't take long for Blaine to fall asleep once he felt safe with Kurt in bed next to him.

It was about an hour later and Kurt was finishing washing the dishes Blaine and Rachel had been doing when Blaine stuck his head around the corner. Kurt looked up from the sink of warm soapy water and smiled. The nervous expression on Blaine face disappeared into a small smile.

"Have a nice nap?" asked Kurt as Blaine shuffled into the room.

His smile grew bigger as Blaine pressed against his back, leaning his chin into his shoulder and breathing in his scent. Kurt tilted his head back to give Blaine more access to his neck and Blaine greedily pressed his face into it. He wrapped his arms around Kurt's torso and let out a soft sigh.

"You're cuddly today," commented Kurt as he drained the sink and reached for the kitchen towel to dry his hands.

He set the towel down on the counter and turned in Blaine's arms to look into his bright hazel eyes.

"So, I was thinking," started Kurt as he ran a hand up Blaine's arm. "You're cooped up in the apartment too much. Perhaps we could go out for a walk and grab something for supper while we're at it."

Blaine tilted his head to the side inquisitively as if he were considering Kurt's words. The familiar movement made Kurt smile and he couldn't help but wrap his arms around Blaine's shoulders to give him a tight squeeze. Blaine reluctantly let go of Kurt when Kurt retracted from the embrace.

"Let's go," said Kurt, moving to flick off the kitchen light.

It was overcast and chilly outside, so Kurt got a coat for Blaine out of the entry closet and passed it to him before grabbing his own. He pulled it on and did up the buttons before grabbing his keys, cell phone and wallet from the hall table.

"Ready?" asked Kurt once he had stepped into his loafers.

He glanced over his shoulder to see Blaine standing behind him, ready and waiting to go. Kurt opened the apartment door for them to step through and then locked it behind them. When he put his keys into his pocket, his hand came into contact with a piece of paper. Furrowing his brow, Kurt pulled the paper out to look at. It was Mr. Gabriner's business card. Kurt pursed his lips and looked over at Blaine who was standing in the middle of the apartment hallway, waiting for Kurt. After a few moments, Kurt pulled out his cell phone and typed out the numbers from the card.

"Hello, Robert Gabriner here," sounded the familiar voice of Kurt's professor through the cell's speaker.

"Hi, this is Kurt... Hummel, Kurt Hummel," said Kurt, his cheeks pinking when he stumbled over his words a little.

He really wished he was better at talking over the phone. What was the big deal? He could talk to people just fine in person, even people he only knew very formally. For some reason, though, his tongue always became clumsy over the telephone.

"Ah, Kurt," replied Mr. Gabriner, his voice warming with recognition. "It is good to hear from you! I wasn't sure if you were going to call."

Kurt nodded before opening his mouth to speaking, but he was saved from more vocal stumbling when Mr. Gabriner continued to speak.

"So, you talked it over with Blaine? And has he agreed to come be one of my models?"

Chuckling at the way Mr. Gabriner said '_come be one of my models'_ in a silly, made-up accent, Kurt let his gaze flicker over to Blaine who was watching him curiously.

"I think he's on board," said Kurt, because, no, he hadn't talked it over with Blaine but it wasn't like he really could. He frowned for a moment, then, thinking about his reason for wanting to take Blaine out as a distraction in the first place. "Will he need to be nude?"

"Nope," replied Mr. Gabriner, lightly. "It'll be kind of a... _different_ form of modeling. Instead of his body, I want him for his mind."

Kurt's brow furrowed in confusion, though the smile Mr. Gabriner's goofy speech patterns had put on his face didn't falter.

"So, when do you want him?" asked Kurt, glancing over at Blaine again.

"Actually," started Mr. Gabriner, his happy tone gaining enthusiasm as he spoke. "I have two other minds meeting me at the University in about twenty minutes. Are you free right now? If not, we can arrange for another time later in the week."

"N...now?" stuttered Kurt in surprise.

He wondered if it would be too much for Blaine considering his afternoon. Mr. Gabriner hummed in response and Kurt could hear some paper shuffling in the background.

"We could schedule it for tomorrow around noon if that would be better," he said. "Or Thursday evening, but that will be pushing it for my printing timeline."

"I work tomorrow," said Kurt more to himself than to Mr. Gabriner. "Now will be fine."

"Excellent," exclaimed Mr Gabriner eagerly. "Looking forward to it! Okay, so we'll be in the Neural Science wing of the University. Tell the guard at security that Robert Gabriner and Dr. Taro Aoki are expecting you."

"Oh, mister Hummel," cried out Mr. Gabriner gaily, putting a silly sort of emphasis on the 'mister Hummel' part. "You have no idea how excited I am to peer into your friend's mind. He has such an inquisitive pair of eyes. See you soon!"

Kurt's eyes widened as the sound of Mr. Gabriner ending the call clicked in his ear. _Neural Science?_ _Peering into Blaine's mind?_ Kurt felt his stomach drop and his throat begin to close. He threw his hands out toward the wall and caught his weight against it before his legs could give out beneath him. A dull roaring sound filled his ears as he struggled to keep his breathing regular.

"I'll just have to call him back and say never mind," babbled Kurt to himself. "I'll call him and say something came up and we can't come after all. I'll change my phone number and move to the west coast and take fashion at some school over there. Maybe I'll even change my name."

He let out a soft sigh when he felt Blaine's hands run over his shoulders, thumbs pressing into his taught muscles. His eyes fluttered shut at the sensation of Blaine kneading his fingers into the tops of his shoulders and he hummed happily. A few moments later, he felt Blaine's hands stop what they were doing and instead, his arms wrapped around Kurt to link across his chest. Blaine's body was pressed up against his back, warming him and making him feel safe and cared for. Not caring how strange they probably looked to anyone who might pass them in the hall, Kurt simply stood there, leaning his head against the wall while Blaine held onto him from behind.

Perhaps it wasn't a complete disaster. Mr. Gabriner was a special sort; if anyone could take Kurt's alternative relationship with Blaine in stride, it would be him. Perhaps he could even find an ally in Mr. Gabriner should he ever have need for one. Perhaps he would be fortunate and somehow Blaine wouldn't be found out. Of course, if Mr. Gabriner was alluding to some sort of MRI or EEG when he said he was excited to peer into Blaine's mind, it would be glaringly obvious the moment Blaine's brain was on display. Perhaps, though, perhaps Mr. Gabriner was being facetious in one way or another in wording it that way.

Kurt moved out from Blaine's embrace and turned to look him in the eyes. He bit his lip in worry as he contemplated his best move. Was he really willing to take such a risk? What was the point? But then, it wasn't like Mr. Gabriner or that Dr. Aoki guy knew anything about him and Blaine. So what if he was allowing Mr. Gabriner to use his pet as a model for an art piece? Why would that raise any warning bells for anyone? It wasn't as if they knew anything about his relationship with Blaine. Nodding to himself in decided determination, Kurt took hold of Blaine's hand and led him down the hall to the elevator.

"Let's do this," said Kurt, mostly to himself.


	16. Chapter 15

****Title:**** Why I Feel This Way**  
><strong>Pairings<strong>: **Kurt/Blaine**  
><strong>Rating<strong>: **R**  
><strong>Story Warnings:<strong> **Pet!Blaine**  
><strong>Note<strong>: **This story is the SEQUEL to Man's Best Friend

* * *

><p><strong><em>Chapter Fifteen<br>_**

* * *

><p>It took them approximately fourty minutes to reach the downtown campus. Blaine had held onto Kurt tightly during their ride on the subway. When they arrived at the college, Kurt told the uniformed men at the security desk what Mr. Gabriner had instructed and was given directions to the Neural Science wing. He led Blaine down the long, mostly vacant University hallway. When they reached the large metal door with encased window to the Neural Science department's office, Kurt turned the handle and pushed it open.<p>

"Hello? Can I help you?" called out a middle-aged man of Asian descent.

Kurt swallowed nervously as the man who was dressed in a white lab coat pushed his thick glasses further up his nose as he approached.

"I'm Kurt," said Kurt. "And this is Blaine. Professor Gabriner is expecting us."

"Kurt!" called Mr. Gabriner happily as he walked into the large office-like room from a second door on the opposite wall. "Excellent! I was just finishing up with Cam and Shandy."

The corners of Kurt's move pulled up in a small relieved smile. He watched as Mr. Gabriner led two others, an elderly man and a young girl, further into the room.

"Taro," said Mr. Gabriner with a bright smile as he gestured at Blaine. "This is the guy I was telling you about!"

Blaine moved closer to Kurt when the attention of the two men fell on him. Mr. Gabriner left the two other people who were pulling on their jackets and gathering their things like they were making to leave. He stepped between the man in the white lab coat and Kurt.

"Kurt, Blaine, this is an old friend of mine, Dr. Taro Aoki," introduced Mr. Gabriner enthusiastically. "Taro, this is Kurt and this is Blaine."

"Nice to meet you, Kurt," said Taro, reaching out to grasp Kurt's hand in a light handshake.

"Pleasure," replied Kurt returning the handshake.

Dr. Aoki turned to Blaine, then, and reached for his hand as well. Blaine eyed it, but slowly reached out with his own hand and allowed the thin man to grasp and shake it. Kurt smiled bemusedly.

"Nice to meet you, as well, Blaine," spoke Dr. Aoki.

Blaine said nothing in return, as Kurt expected, but it caused the scientist to look at him strangely.

"So," said Mr. Gabriner, clapping his hands together enthusiastically. "The MRI is still humming, so shall we get on with it?"

All the colour drained from Kurt's face at that, but he nodded his head anyway.

"Excellent!" exclaimed Mr. Gabriner in a voice much too loud for indoors.

He turned to the two other people who were standing off to the side.

"Shandy," he said, taking the girl's hand in his. "Thank you so much. I'll be sending the cheque in the mail shortly. You have a beautiful brain."

The girl smiled bashfully at him and nodded before reclaiming her hand and moving to leave. Dr. Aoki called his goodbye to her softly as she passed him. She gave him a crooked smile before leaving out the door Kurt and Blaine had entered through.

"Cam," said Mr. Gabriner, patting the elderly man on the shoulder. "It was a pleasure to see into the mind of such a wise individual as yourself."

"Wise," scoffed the old man, slapping the professor's hands away good-naturedly. "You mean old and senile!"

"Either way, it was a pleasure," laughed Mr. Gabriner. "I hope you'll come to opening night."

"I wouldn't miss it for the world, you eccentric oddball," replied the man in his scratchy, aged voice.

The elderly man moved gingerly away from Mr. Gabriner with the help of his cane and made his way toward the office door. Once he had disappeared into the hallway, Mr. Gabriner looked back at Kurt and Blaine with a grin.

"Shall well?" he ventured.

Kurt nodded again, feeling his stomach clench and twist uncomfortably. The four of them crossed the office and left through the far door. They crossed a secondary hallway and then stepped through another door into a white room that housed the large MRI unit.

"I am so very excited about this project," gushed Mr. Gabriner as he directed them into the room and closed the door behind them. "I've been wanting to do something like this for a while and then when I was talking to Taro last fall about his latest studies it gave me this amazing idea. It was an eureka moment; an absolute moment of extreme serendipity. It was meant to be!"

While Mr. Gabriner talked, Dr. Aoki moved around the room getting a few things set up before heading into a small room attached to the larger room. He came back out again and approached the three.

"We'll need Blaine to remove anything he's wearing that might have any metal," said Dr. Aoki. "We have a hospital gown he can change into if need be."

Kurt glanced over at Blaine who was looking around the room curiously and bit his lip.

"Mr. Gabriner," said Kurt, nervously. "I should tell you something about... about..."

"Yes?" asked Mr. Gabriner, brightly. "What is it, Kurt?"

Kurt wrung his hands helplessly, glancing between Mr. Gabriner and Blaine with growing anxiousness. Finally he let out his breath and a long, shaky exhale.

"The gown would be great," he sighed, turning to Dr. Aoki. "His jeans have a metal zipper and button."

Dr. Aoki nodded and moved to lead Blaine to a small change room next door. Blaine looked at Kurt nervously but Kurt gave him a nod and motioned for him to follow the short, thin doctor.

"What is it, Kurt?" asked Mr. Gabriner once Blaine and Dr. Aoki had left.

"I... I haven't been completely honest with you," stuttered Kurt, nervous and unsure of how to phrase what he had to say. "Blaine's... well, he's not."

Kurt sighed in frustration. It was as though he were up against a mental block that stood as a brick wall between the truth and his tongue. Mr. Gabriner patted him on the shoulder and gave him a soft smile.

"You don't have to tell me, Kurt," said Mr. Gabriner. "I already know."

"You... what?" gaped Kurt.

"It's fairly obvious," replied Mr. Gabriner with a shrug. "How you thought you were fooling anyone is beyond me."

Kurt's eyes widened and his mouth fell open. He could feel the colour draining from his face yet again as he was filled with the sense of utter horror. Was it really obvious?

"Oh, G*d," squeaked Kurt.

"I don't know why you feel like you have to hide that you are in love with your best friend," continued Mr. Gabriner, giving Kurt's shoulder a squeeze. "It's obvious he feels the same about you. The only one you've been fooling by pretending otherwise is yourself."

Blinking a few times, Kurt took a breath and visibly deflated.

"Wait, what?" asked Kurt.

"You two, being together," explained Mr. Gabriner, giving Kurt a funny look.

"No," replied Kurt, shaking his head frantically. "No, no, no, that's not... no. That wasn't what I was going to tell you at all."

Mr. Gabriner's eyebrows rose on his forehead and he opened his mouth like he wanted to ask but the door opened and Dr. Aoki came back in followed by Blaine dressed in only a white hospital gown.

"Ready?" asked Mr. Gabriner, his fleeting attention caught by Blaine.

Kurt bit his fingernail, nervously. Blaine gave him an anxious look and Kurt instantly moved to him and gave him a quick hug.

"It's okay," he whispered to Blaine.

Dr. Aoki gently directed Blaine to the moveable exam table and had him lay back on it. He then pulled a rolling tray over and began to prepare a large needle.

"Whoa," exclaimed Kurt, suddenly. "You never said anything about poking him."

"We need to put him on an IV to inject him with a contrast material," explained Dr. Aoki, levelly.

Kurt clamped his mouth shut and crossed his arms over his chest. He eyed Blaine who was laying obediently on the exam table.

"When I agreed to have him model for you, I didn't realize he was going to be turned into a lab rat," hissed Kurt at Mr. Gabriner.

"It's just part of the procedure," replied the man with a shrug and a guilty smile.

Kurt grit his teeth and stomped across the room to stand next to Blaine. The young man seemed oddly comfortable for the situation, as if laying on an exam table wearing a hospital gown in a bright white room was an everyday occurrence.

"If you could stand on the other side of him," said Dr. Aoki after a few minutes of preparation. "Then I'll have more room to work."

Nodding, Kurt moved around the moveable exam table of the MRI unit. He flashed Mr. Gabriner and angry look as he went. Taking Blaine's other hand, Kurt gave it a squeeze and managed a, hopefully, reassuring smile. Blaine kept his eyes on Kurt as Dr. Aoki found the vein and punctured Blaine's hand with the large needle. Somehow knowing it was necessary, Blaine remained very still despite the tears gathering in his eyes at the sensation.

"All done," said Dr. Aoki a few moments later. "We'll just let that saline solution work for a little bit and then we'll start the contrast material."

Kurt squatted down so that his face was in line with Blaine's.

"Are you okay?" asked Kurt in a whisper.

Blaine squeezed his hand.

"I'm sorry, Blaine," whispered Kurt shakily. "I didn't realize this was going to be... like this."

He squatted net to Blaine until his legs could no longer take it and then straightened to continue to stand next to him. The MRI unit suddenly started to life with a whirring sound. Kurt flinched but tried to look confident for Blaine's benefit. Dr. Aoki reappeared at their side and Kurt was forced to step away so the small man could work. He snapped a brace into place around Blaine's head to keep him from moving. The young man's entire body tensed at the sudden claustrophobia of it.

"I'm still here, Blaine," Kurt called out softly from a few feet away.

The doctor attached a strap across Blaine's torso to help him keep still. Then he set up a small, white device over the head brace.

"What is that?" asked Kurt, fidgeting anxiously.

"Remember those old View-Masters with their paper disks?" asked Mr Gabriner, suddenly at Kurt's side.

He laughed when Kurt gave him a blank look.

"Perhaps they _are_ a little before your time," he conceded, patting Kurt on the back. "They were those plastic toys that were like binoculars but you inserted a paper disk with tiny pictures into them to look at."

At Kurt's slight nod, Mr. Gabriner grinned and continued.

"Well, it is something like that," he said. "A really, really, expensive and high-tech something like that."

"It is for issuing visual stimuli to the patient," explained Dr. Aoki in the neutral, even-toned voice he had been using the entire time.

"We're going to bombard him with pictures and see how his brain lights up," replied Mr. Gabriner with glee.

"Now, Mr. Blaine," said Dr. Aoki, turning back to Blaine. "You must lay very still for this procedure."

"Let's go!" exclaimed Mr. Gabriner, his excitement growing by the second.

He took hold of Kurt's elbow and led him toward the small room built into the side of the larger room. Kurt didn't have a chance to say anything about the fact that Blaine wouldn't understand Dr. Aoki's command to stay still.

"I'm so excited," confessed Mr. Gabriner with a bright grin. "This is so much fun."

"Fun," repeated Kurt in disbelief.

He personally didn't think hospital-type procedures were something to put on his list of things that he found fun, but Mr. Gabriner had never been the sanest of people. Dr. Aoki joined them in the small control room moments later and began working the buttons on the panel in front of them. They could see Blaine's face in black and white on one monitor. Kurt searched his features for signs of panic, but he still looked quite calm.

Mr. Gabriner pulled a laptop off the counter that was hooked to the technological control panel with a few cords and began clicking away with a cordless mouse. Curious, Kurt moved to stand behind him and watch what he was doing over his shoulder.

"I'm ready with the '_visual stimuli_', Taro," spoke Mr. Gabriner, happily.

Dr. Aoki made a face at the way Mr. Gabriner said visual stimuli in a teasing voice.

"Just because you are severely lacking in technical vocabulary, _Richard_, and have an appalling attitude toward the more serious aspects of life..." started Dr. Aoki, finally showing some emotion since Kurt's arrival.

Mr. Gabriner silenced him with a raised hand which caused Dr. Aoki to pout instead of rant. Kurt couldn't help his small snicker at their behavior which caused Mr. Gabriner to grin at him, his eyes sparkling with mischief.

"Let's get this over with," said Mr. Gabriner to Dr. Aoki. "Poor Blaine's laying on a plastic table with an IV in his hand while you stand around immaturely trying to pick fights."

Kurt covered his mouth to cover his grin at the affronted look on Dr. Aoki's face. His amusement was short-lived, though, because Dr. Aoki turned on the machine and suddenly the second and third monitors lit up with computer images of Blaine's brain. Blaine's very pet-like brain. The room suddenly went silent. It was a heavy silence and Kurt swallowed nervously as he waited for the other two men to react.

Dr. Aoki's shoulders tensed as he stared silently at the monitors. Mr. Gabriner's brow furrowed in confusion as he glanced back and forth between the two monitors.

"I don't understand," he said, finally. "Why does... he... his brain looks nothing like the others... I mean, I'm not scientist, but..."

Mr. Gabriner turned to look at the posters on the back wall of the room. There were a few different posters with diagrams of a human brain on them and one poster with the diagram of a pet's brain. Mr. Gabriner's eyes widened comically as he glanced between the pet brain poster and the monitor. He looked over at Kurt, then.

"I..." started Kurt, not really knowing what to say.

* * *

><p>AN: I have no medical or scientific training. Just enjoy the story, no need to nitpick the discrepancies... besides, this is a fictional story.


	17. Chapter 16

****Title:**** Why I Feel This Way**  
><strong>Pairings<strong>: **Kurt/Blaine**  
><strong>Rating<strong>: **R**  
><strong>Story Warnings:<strong> **Pet!Blaine**  
><strong>Note<strong>: **This story is the SEQUEL to Man's Best Friend

* * *

><p><strong><em>Chapter Sixteen<br>_**

* * *

><p>"Robert," said Dr. Aoki, reanimating and beginning to work the controls in front of him. "You didn't tell me he was a <em>pet<em>. I would have approached things a little differently had I know. You make me out to be a fool!"

"Hush, Taro," replied Mr. Gabriner, his face bearing a forced show of amusement. "A man needs his secrets."

Mr. Gabriner gave Kurt a significant look when he said 'secrets', but said nothing more.

"You live to tease me," grumbled Dr. Aoki.

The three stood in silence for the next fifteen minutes. Dr. Aoki was hastily scribbling notes down on his clipboard as he looked back and forth between the monitors. Mr. Gabriner had a far-away look in his eyes as he sat and stewed in whatever thoughts he was lost in. Kurt tried not to panic.

"Do you think you could get him to lay still?" asked Dr. Aoki, pulling Kurt from his thoughts.

Startling, Kurt's eyes glanced through the large window at the MRI unit blocking his view of Blaine down to the monitor that showed the black and white image of Blaine's face. The young man's calm face was now looking much more strained and he was fidgeting.

"It is rather claustrophobic in there," said Dr. Aoki. "It is a wonder he's been still for us this long without sedation."

"Sedation would be useless," exclaimed Mr. Gabriner, suddenly. "I need him to look at the pictures."

"I wasn't suggesting we sedate him," replied Dr. Aoki. "I was just saying it was surprising that we've gotten this far with him seeing as we normally have to sedate _pets_ for such procedures."

Kurt's lip curled and he clamped his teeth together at the way Dr. Aoki said 'pets'.

"Yes, well, Blaine's special," snapped Kurt, balling his fits at his sides.

"Indubitably," replied Mr. Gabriner, quirking an eyebrow at Kurt's emotional response.

Dr. Aoki gestured for Kurt to join him at his side and then pointed at the white microphone on the control dashboard.

"Try talking to him, it may help," he instructed.

"Blaine?" spoke Kurt, after pressing down on the button below the microphone that Dr. Aoki had gestured to.

The image of Blaine on the monitor went still.

"Good," whispered Dr. Aoki, looking at the vitals being displayed on the side of the screen. "He's calming down already."

"Everything's okay, Blaine," continued Kurt, trying to keep his voice calm. "Just try to keep still. It'll just be a little bit longer."

Kurt let go of the microphone's button and looked over at Mr. Gabriner in time to see him giving Kurt a measuring look. Kurt pursed his lips.

"How... How much longer?" he asked.

"Another thirty minutes," replied Dr. Aoki apologetically.

Blaine was fidgeting again. Kurt pushed down on the button and spoke to him with more comforting words. This time, though, Blaine didn't stop fidgeting.

"What's going on?" asked Mr. Gabriner.

Blaine started whining and trying to flail out from where he was strapped to the examination table.

"Calm him down," warned Dr. Aoki. "He's going to hurt himself."

"Blaine," pleaded Kurt, but it didn't help.

Kurt stepped away from the microphone and pulled the small room's door open before rushing out.

"Stop!" exclaimed Dr. Aoki.

"Get him out!" cried out Kurt when he reached the side of the MRI unit.

Dr. Aoki looked to Mr. Gabriner. The man had his eyes trained on the monitors showing images of Blaine's brain. The corners of his mouth twitched as the colours on the computerized images lit up in different places like he'd never seen before. Finally he nodded his ascent and Dr. Aoki shut everything down.

"Blaine," called out Kurt. "Blaine, you have to calm down!"

Dr. Aoki rushed out of the room to join Kurt at the side of the unit. He pressed a large button on the front and pulled the examination bed out from where it had been sitting inside of the large white tube. Blaine was trembling and flailing. With trembling hands, Dr. Aoki worked to quickly unfasten the strap across Blaine's torso.

Once Blaine was free, he was sitting up and grabbing for Kurt in one fast movement. Kurt wrapped his arms around Blaine's shoulders and let the young man cling to him. Their chests were pressed tightly together and Kurt could feel Blaine's heartbeat pounding against the cage of his ribs.

"Shhh," whispered Kurt. "I'm here. Shhh."

Kurt looked over Blaine's shoulder as he rocked him and rubbed at his back. Dr. Aoki walked over to Mr. Gabriner who was just coming out of the control room.

"Do you think it'll be worth trying again?" asked Dr. Aoki.

"No need," replied Mr. Gabriner with a delighted grin. "I got what I needed."

Dr. Aoki shrugged.

"Fine," he replied. "I don't really need anything from him, seeing as my study was with _humans_."

"You were taking notes like a madman," replied Mr. Gabriner, his grin growing. "I know for a fact this was the most interesting patient for you yet."

"There isn't a lot of studies out there in regards to the brains of pets," replied Dr. Aoki, trying for nonchalant, but even Kurt could tell he was excited about something.

"I hope Kurt can calm him enough for the EEG," said Mr. Gabriner, glancing Kurt's way thoughtfully.

Kurt bit the inside of his cheek and turned his attention back to Blaine. He held him until he had calmed considerably. Dr. Aoki came over and began to put on some plastic gloves. Then, he took Blaine's hand.

"Let's get this IV out, shall we?" he said shakily, trying to give Kurt and Blaine a warm smile.

Blaine hid his face in Kurt's chest while Dr. Aoki carefully extracted the tube. Kurt ran his fingers through Blaine's short hair as the young man winced and whined at the hard pressure the doctor was putting on his hand to stop the bleeding.

"Sorry," murmured Dr. Aoki.

He placed some gauze over the small wound and taped it with hospital tape.

"All done," he said brightly and turned his back on the two young men so that he could clean up.

Kurt helped Blaine down from the table and they made their way over to the door of the change room so Blaine could get dressed again. Once they were shut into the small room, Kurt turned and grabbed Blaine by the face. He held Blaine's head still and searched his eyes. He wasn't really sure what he was searching _for_, but he stared into the honey hazel anyway. After a few beats he released Blaine's face and threw his arms around his shoulder to hug him tightly. Blaine let out a soft sigh and burrowed his face in Kurt's neck right under his chin.

* * *

><p>Mr. Gabriner's eyes danced with excitement as Dr. Aoki got Blaine ready for the EEG. Kurt didn't know the man very well, but he recognized that look as similar to the look the one he got sometimes in class when a particular student had captured something in their art that excited him. The look he was wearing now was the same but even more manic –it must have been his '<em>creative genius'<em> coming to surface. Despite everything, Kurt found himself amusedly wondering about the kind of person who would want to marry that.

Blaine looked strange with the EEG Recording Net covering his head and parts of his face. He definitely looked uncomfortable with the small round recording pieces all over his head attached to wires. Kurt held his hand reassuringly.

"This shouldn't take long," spoke Dr. Aoki, glancing over at Mr. Gabriner who was bouncing on the balls of his feet and rubbing his hands together excitedly. "He's figured out what he wants the stimuli for this piece to be, so, we won't have to spend time going through all the visuals this time around."

Kurt furrowed his brow, not really knowing what Dr. Aoki meant, but he nodded anyway.

"Kurt," called out Mr. Gabriner, as Dr. Aoki began the procedure. "Will you come with me for a moment?"

Nervously, looking between Blaine and Mr. Gabriner, Kurt finally nodded.

"I'll be back," he said softly to Blaine before letting go of his hands and moving to follow Mr. Gabriner.

The stepped out of the room for a moment and Mr. Gabriner put his hands on Kurt's shoulders. They stared at each other for a moment, as if trying to figure out what the other was thinking. Finally, the artist let out a breath of air.

"Man becomes man only by his intelligence," said Mr. Gabriner solemnly, staring in Kurt's eyes as if willing him to understand.

"But," he said after pausing for emphasis. "He is man only by his heart."

Kurt tilted his head to the side and furrowed his brow.

"Wise words from Frederic Amiel," explained Mr. Gabriner with a small smirky smile.

Opening and closing his mouth like a goldfish in a decorative bowl, Kurt didn't make a sound. He was stunned and a little confused. Mr. Gabriner just smiled.

"Alright," he said a few moments later, patting Kurt's shoulders where his hands were still resting before letting Kurt go. "Let's head back in."

He opened the door and then gestured and bowed a little. Kurt quirked an eyebrow at him but walked past him into the room like Mr. Gabriner had wanted. His eyes immediately sought out Blaine's.

"Did you get it?" asked Mr. Gabriner stepping into the room behind Kurt.

"Yes," replied Dr. Aoti shaking his head and scowling at Mr. Gabriner. "You do realize that it is highly unscientific, though, right?"

"This isn't science," laughed Mr. Gabriner before throwing his arms out in a grand gesture. "This is art!"

Dr. Aoti rolled his eyes but clicked away at his computer without saying anything more. He stood up a few moments later and moved toward Blaine to start detaching him from all the cords and the EEG Recording Net.

"Thank you for letting us use your pet, Kurt," said Dr. Aoti as he detangled the cords and put everything away. "He is really well-behaved; you must have trained him well."

Kurt narrowed his eyes and bit the inside of his cheek to stop himself from saying anything. Really, it was a compliment and Dr. Aoti hadn't said anything even remotely offensive to regular society, but he was talking about Blaine... Kurt's Blaine. Not some pet. Kurt forced himself to exhale slowly and unclench his fists when he noticed Mr. Gabriner giving him a knowing look. He wondered what would happen now that the eccentric artist slash professor knew his secret.

When Blaine was free, Mr. Gabriner led him and Kurt out of the room and back into the large office where they had first met.

"Thank you for agreeing to this, Kurt," he said with a genuine smile, nothing crazy, manic or mischievous about it. "I guess we were both blind-sided by the... _logistics_ of it."

He chuckled softly and Kurt nodded silently, still worried about what would happen next.

"I'm pretty excited about the results, though," he went on. "I've been focusing on one theme for each individual's study and I found Blaine's pretty quick. I look forward to transferring the images to canvas. This is going to be quite the show!"

Kurt nodded again, still silent.

"I think I have your mailing address from the college files, so I won't need to get that from you," continued Mr. Gabriner, his eyes resting on Blaine's face. "I'll send the payment for Blaine's work today shortly. I'll also send you tickets to the opening; I hope you'll both come."

"Both?" croaked Kurt, finally.

"Yes," replied Mr. Gabriner, furrowing his brow and smiling bemusedly. "Both."

"Okay, can we just be blunt, here?" asked Kurt, exhaling a sigh.

Mr. Gabriner frowned and nodded.

"Are you going to report me?"

"What is there to report?" asked Mr Gabriner, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth as he lifted an eyebrow at Kurt. "It's not illegal to have a pet."

He looked over at Blaine again, running his eyes up and down the young man.

"He looks to be in good health," he continued. "And there are no signs of abuse. Is there something I'm missing?"

A smile broke out on Kurt's face, then. Mr. Gabriner returned it.

"I'll see you tomorrow," said Mr. Gabriner. "You said you were working tomorrow, right? I'll be in need of coffee tomorrow as I plan to be up all night excited over this new development in my art!"

"See you then," replied Kurt, grinning broadly by that point.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN - I keep wanting to write 'Aorta' instead of 'Aoti', rofl! Anyway, I am not a scientist or doctor or anything like that... so please forgive any discrepancies and just call it FICTION. Thanks. If you have any questions about this verse, feel free to place them in my ASK Box over on tumblr. I'll answer them publicly if they don't completely give away the ending.**_


	18. Chapter 17

****Title:**** Why I Feel This Way**  
><strong>Pairings<strong>: **Kurt/Blaine**  
><strong>Rating<strong>: **R**  
><strong>Story Warnings:<strong> **Pet!Blaine**  
><strong>Note<strong>: **This story is the SEQUEL to Man's Best Friend

* * *

><p><strong><em>Chapter Seventeen<br>_**

* * *

><p>Feeling ravenous by the time they had left the University, Kurt had them stop to pick up some Chinese take-out on their way home. Rachel was home when they arrived. After quickly stepping out of his shoes, Kurt put the brown paper bag filled with containers of food on the kitchen counter before promptly returning to Blaine's side. Blaine was still fiddling with his shoes when Kurt reached him.<p>

"You and Rachel have some things to sort out," said Kurt, suddenly nervous.

Kurt took hold of Blaine's hand and led him through the kitchen into the dining room.

"Rachel!" he called out.

Seconds later, Rachel's bedroom door opened and she stepped apprehensively down the hall and into the dining room. Blaine tensed at Kurt's side.

"I'm right here," Kurt whispered soothingly, squeezing his hand and running his free hand up and down Blaine's arm.

"Hi Blaine," said Rachel softly. "I'm sorry about earlier."

She took a few steps forward and reached for him, but Blaine took a step back and squeezed Kurt's hand tightly. Rachel stopped and dropped her hand, a frown spreading across her face.

"Do you think he'll _ever_ forgive me?" she asked, turning watery eyes onto Kurt.

"This is his first time seeing you since the whole... incident," replied Kurt, shaking his head at Rachel's dramatic wording. "You'll just have to give him time to see that you're not going to be '_feeling him up'_ again anytime soon."

"I wasn't feeling him up!" squawked Rachel, stomping her foot and balling her hands into fists at her sides.

Blaine pressed into Kurt's side.

"Well, anyway," said Kurt, wanting to be done with the awkward encounter. "I got Chinese on the way home, but it isn't vegan, so..."

"I wouldn't want to eat those greasy carbs anyway," replied Rachel with a huff before she flitted past Kurt and Blaine into the kitchen. "I have some leftovers in the fridge that I should eat up."

She opened the refrigerator and bent over to look inside. Kurt shrugged to himself and went into the kitchen as well. Blaine stuck close to him, eyeing Rachel warily. He worked at unpacking all the containers of Chinese food before pulling two plates down from the cabinet

"Here's a plate," said Kurt, passing an empty dish to Blaine.

He opened the containers and began dishing himself up with the food, offering some to Blaine each time. Blaine looked at the different foods curiously and accepted a little of everything. Rachel was reheating some of her own food in the microwave.

"Alright, let's go eat in the dining room," said Kurt once their plates were filled.

Blaine stuck close to him as he entered the dining room, leaving Rachel to finish getting her supper ready. Once the young men were seated at the table, Kurt's cell phone pinged from where he left on the hall table with his keys and wallet. He stood, trailing his hand over Blaine's shoulders as he left him. He felt Blaine's eyes on him as he left the room.

He picked up his cell to find a text from Shawn waiting for him.

**To Kurt:**

**How did everything go? Is everything alright?**

His brow furrowed for a moment as he wondered what Shawn was talking about. It had felt like eons ago that he had been sitting with Shawn at the Cafe for his lunch break. He rolled his eyes at himself when he remembered. He touched the 'reply' button and began composing a response as he walked through the kitchen back to the dining room. He bumped into Rachel who was hovering in the walkway between kitchen and dining room, her dinner plate in hand.

"What are you doing?" asked Kurt, attempting to gracefully recover from the small run-in.

"I didn't want to freak him out by going in there while you were gone," stage-whispered Rachel in reply.

Kurt looked over at Blaine who was pushing his food around his plate with his fork. His posture was stiff and his free hand was clenching and unclenching with obvious nerves. Kurt patted Rachel's arm and gave her a half smile before walking past her.

Blaine pressed close to his side when Kurt sat down next to him. Kurt put his arm around the young man's shoulders as Rachel took her seat across the table from them. Kurt could tell Rachel was trying her best to appear unassuming and gentle to Blaine. He wasn't sure how one could simply sit and eat in such a manner, but Rachel was somehow pulling it off. Kurt rubbed soothing circles against Blaine's back and it wasn't long before Blaine let his wary gaze drop from Rachel down to his plate.

When Blaine was actually eating his supper, Kurt picked up his cell from where he had set it on the table and went back to typing a response to Shawn.

**To Shawn:**

**Everything is under control. All party members accounted for.**

He set his phone back down and began to eat his supper. With Rachel terrified of setting off Blaine, and Blaine pressed against Kurt while quietly eating his dinner, it was oddly quiet in Rachel and Kurt's apartment. Kurt quickly ate his supper, wanting out of the awkward meal as quickly as possible.

Rachel ended up being the first to finish. She picked up her plate and fork, gave Blaine one last look of remorse, and scurried back into the kitchen to wash her dishes. Once Rachel had left the kitchen to go back to hiding in her room, Blaine's entire frame loosened. He moved out of Kurt's personal space as he finished his meal.

Kurt was just finishing his supper when his cell dinged again.

**To Kurt:**

**Since we were interrupted today, do you want to get together for lunch again this week?**

Kurt hummed to himself, a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. He hit reply and began to type out a response.

**To Shawn:  
>I want you to know that I appreciate you using proper grammar in your text messages. <strong>

After hitting send, Kurt went back to Shawn's message and hit reply again so that he could type out a second text in response.

**To Shawn:**

**And yes, would you like to meet me at work again tomorrow?**

Kurt pocketed his cell after sending off the two messages, and picked up his plate to take to the kitchen. He turned on the water to start washing his plate. Blaine appeared at his side a few moments later with his own plate. Kurt gave him a quick smile, taking the plate from his hands and washing it as well.

He frowned when he wondered what Blaine would do the next day when Kurt left for work. Rachel had play practise in the afternoon, but Blaine would be home alone with her for the majority of the morning. This needed to be fixed straightaway.

"Want to watch a movie?" asked Kurt rinsing off the plate in his hand.

Kurt dried the dishes and put them away before leading Blaine to the living room. He sat him down on the couch before going to the shelf that held a mixture of Rachel's and his collection of DVDs to choose something.

"Rachel," he called over his shoulder as he chose a movie. "Come watch a movie with us!"

He put it into the DVD player and sat down next to Blaine on the couch. A few moments later Rachel tiptoed into the living room. She shot a sideways glance at Kurt and Blaine before climbing into the rocking chair and pulling the blanket over her legs.

"Everyone ready?" asked Kurt in a light tone, remote control poised.

At Rachel's nod and Blaine's snuggling into his side, Kurt turned the movie on from the DVD menu. The tension in the air was making him feel choked, but Kurt simply put his arm around Blaine's shoulders and kept his eyes on the TV. They were about twenty minutes into the movie when Kurt's cell dinged in his pocket.

**To Kurt:**

**I thought you might, so I took extra care to write my texts as such. So same time, same place tomorrow?**

Kurt retracted his arm from around Blaine's shoulders so he could use both hands to type his message.

**To Shawn:**

**1pm, Cafe Noir. Caffeine's on the house.**

**To Kurt:**

**I just knew this friendship would have benefits.**

**To Shawn:**

**You only love me for my coffee connections.**

**To Kurt:**

**That's not the only reason.**

Kurt bit his lip as he stared down at the screen of his cell phone in shock. Shakily, he put the phone back into his pocket and put his arm back around Blaine. The air between Rachel and Blaine was growing more relaxed as the movie wore on, but Kurt was busy brooding in his own troubles to give it much notice. He knew that sitting and watching a movie together wouldn't fix what had happened earlier that day, anyway, but it was a step.

The movie was almost over and Blaine had shifted on the couch so he was lying across Kurt's lap. Rachel was nearly fast asleep in the rocking chair. They had eaten supper quite late, and the night was maturing as the movie rolled on. Kurt was feeling tired after such an eventful day. His head was nodding forward and his eyelids growing heavy when his cell dinged in his pocket. He shook his head to ward off sleep but it was hard with his belly full, the couch comfy, and a warm body sprawled across his lap. His cell dinged again. The final scene of the movie concluded and the credits began to roll. His cell dinged a third time.

Sighing, Kurt carefully shuffled around on the couch so he could get at the phone in his pocket.

**To Kurt:**

**Um, Kurt?**

**To Kurt:**

**I'm sorry if that was forward. I was mostly just teasing.**

**To Kurt:**

**Kurt?**

Kurt took a deep breath before hitting reply.

**To Shawn:**

**I'll see you tomorrow for lunch. Goodnight.**

His cell dinged only seconds after he hit send.

**To Kurt:**

**Looking forward to it.**

Kurt grimaced. He turned his cell off and tossed it lightly onto the coffee table. Blaine shifted against him, letting out a soft snore as his face pressed into Kurt's belly. He couldn't help it, his eyes rolled back in his head momentarily at the warm breath teasing him through his dress shirt. He shook his head and blinked a few times before shimmying out from under Blaine.

"Rachel," he whispered, picking up the remote and turning off the DVD player and TV. "Rachel, wake up so you can go to bed."

"Wha?" exhaled Rachel, raising her head up jerkily and blinking at Kurt.

Kurt smiled.

"Time for bed," he said softly before taking her hands and pulling her out of her chair.

"Oh... kay," she mumbled as she pulled her blanket tighter across her shoulders. "G'night Kurt. I'm sorry for touching Blaine ina...ina...propratly."

"We'll move past it," replied Kurt, giving her shoulders a quick squeeze.

* * *

><p>Kurt left early the next morning for work. He had made sure there was something easy for Blaine to grab for lunch in the fridge after tiptoeing out of his room, leaving a sleeping Blaine cocooned on his bed. Mr. Gabriner showed up at the coffee shop about an hour into Kurt's shift. Kurt might have spent a long time washing the table next to his so that he could chat with him while he sipped his coffee. Mr. Gabriner didn't say anything about Blaine or ask questions about their relationship which Kurt was thankful for. Unfortunately, Mr. Gabriner wouldn't divulge any information about the art, either. It frustrated the curious side of Kurt immensely. Shawn showed up a few minutes before Kurt's 1 o'clock lunch break and ordered a coffee. When Kurt came out from the back room, brown paper bag lunch in hand, Shawn was already sitting at a table.<p>

"I thought I said the caffeine was on the house," said Kurt, giving Shawn a bright smile despite his residual awkwardness from their texting the night before.

"You can get the next ones," replied Shawn returning his smile while he pushed a coffee across the table to Kurt. "Cafe Mocha, right?"

"Detail oriented," was all Kurt said in reply, lifting an eyebrow and taking the offered cup.

Shawn smiled and shrugged.

There were a few moments of awkward silence with both obviously dwelling on the elephant in the room. Finally Kurt let out a huff of exasperated laughter that caused Shawn to grin a depreciating grin. After that, they were able to chat amicably for the rest of Kurt's lunch break.

The rest of Kurt's work day went by smoothly. There was a steady stream of patrons which kept him busy and helped time to seem to pass by at an elevated speed. Soon, Kurt found himself walking the few blocks home after his day of work. He felt sticky from working with coffee and all the different add ins all day and he was certain he smelled exactly like the coffee shop itself, but he figured there were worse things to smell like.

Blaine snuggled up on the couch watching TV when Kurt stepped into the apartment. Kurt grinned when he heard the footfalls of Blaine's bare feet as the young man made his way around the corner to see who had come home. Blaine's eyes lit up at the sight of Kurt.

"Hi, Blaine," called Kurt, smile only growing at the sight of him. "How was your day?"

He raised an accusing eyebrow at Blaine when he noticed the young man was still in his pyjamas.

"We need to get you out more," said Kurt with a shake of his head.

He dropped his keys on the hall table with his wallet and cell. When he did so, he noticed Rachel had gotten the mail and left the things addressed to him on there. He picked them up and sorted through them as he followed Blaine back into the living room. There was a fashion magazine, a few bills, and... an envelope with the return address being of 'The Home in Lima'. Brow furrowed, Kurt sat down on the couch and turned the envelope over to tear it open.

Kurt pulled out the white paper from the envelope and let the envelope fall to the floor to be tossed later. Confused and curious, he unfolded the letter and began scanning it over. He half expected it to be some sort of newsletter or some sort of request for financial support of some sort now that he was on their mailing list for having re-adopted Blaine from the local tasking farm. It wasn't. Seeing it was addressed specifically to him, Kurt began to read it. He only got a few sentences in before he was gasping and dropping the paper to the floor in surprise.


	19. Chapter 18

****Title:**** Why I Feel This Way**  
><strong>Pairings<strong>: **Kurt/Blaine**  
><strong>Rating<strong>: **R**  
><strong>Story Warnings:<strong> ** Pet!Blaine, allusion to previous dubcon/noncon experiences, typos and grammatical errors**  
><strong>Note<strong>: **This story is the SEQUEL to Man's Best Friend

* * *

><p><strong><em>Chapter Eighteen<br>_**

* * *

><p>Kurt bent down and fumbled with shaking hands to pick up the letter he had dropped. He sat back and raised the letter up to reread it just to make sure.<p>

_Dear Mr. Kurt Hummel,  
><em>

_Thank you for your continued patronage. We trust that things are going well with your newly adopted pet. If you have any questions or concerns about your pet, or feel that he requires further training, please see our website or call our toll free number to find a Home location nearest you.  
><em>

_ It is our privilege to inform you that your pet, #5056 Blaine, has recently become a father. Congratulations. In keeping with our usual tradition with owners of previous breeders, we are contacting you to offer you the opportunity to reserve the offspring. Now, recent policy changes dictate that you will no longer be able to trade in your current pet for the younger when it comes of age._

_As you probably know, we no longer retire pets to tasking farms. However, if you are interested in adopting a second pet, you have the opportunity to reserve your pet's offspring. The Pet Act of 1996 dictates that offspring must be four years old before being adopted out as pets, so you have a considerable wait. Nonetheless, the young pets are always most popular, so if you are interested, please contact our office in Lima, Ohio to place a reserve as soon as possible.  
><em>

_Thank you._

_Sincerely,_

_Hannah Martin_

_Vice President, Pet and Owner Relations, The Home_

Kurt stared down at the letter blankly once he had reread it. After what felt like an eternity, Kurt slowly turned his head and looked at Blaine –His beautiful Blaine who was perched on the rocking chair and staring curiously at him with big, hazel eyes. Even though his whole body had lost all feeling and his mind felt simply numb, Kurt could feel a sob building in his throat. He closed his eyes as they began to well with tears and inhaled a shaky breath.

"Blaine," he whispered brokenly.

Milliseconds after he had spoken his name, Kurt heard shuffling and then felt the couch dip and Blaine's arms encircle him. Kurt pressed his face into the crook of Blaine's neck and allowed the sob to escape his throat. He clutched onto him like his life depended on it while his body shook with emotion. Blaine held him until Kurt finally calm enough to let go and retreat from the embrace. He wiped the tears from his eyes, not taking their focus off of Blaine. _His Blaine_. His Blaine who had been forced to breed with other pets while at The Farm. His Blaine who was now a father. Who had a child somewhere. Kurt's entire body shuddered with emotional turmoil

He pushed himself up from the couch and walked on shaky legs toward the apartment door. He could feel Blaine's eyes on his back as he left him in the living room. Kurt picked up his cell from the hall table and pulled a number from his contacts list. He drummed his fingers on the table anxiously while he waited for someone to pick up the phone on the other end of the call. When they did, he spoke before they could even say hello.

"Dad," breathed out Kurt in a hoarse voice.

The other end was silent for a few seconds before a familiar voice answered.

"Kurt?" questioned the voice, but it wasn't Burt's. "Your dad's taking the day off. I'm pretty sure he's just at home, though. So you could call him there if you want?"

"Finn?" was Kurt's response.

"Yeah?" answered Finn. "Oh! I guess you didn't know. I'm working for your dad, now. Well, you already knew that, but he has me as his vice manager or whatever. Mom convinced him to work less days, so, I cover for him on Mondays and Tuesdays now."

"Finn," said Kurt, again, not really listening to his step-brother's awkward rambling.

Anger was rising in Kurt's belly and he clenched his jaw before opening his mouth to speak again.

"Uh, Kurt?" asked Finn, sounding confused and concerned. "Is... is everything alright?"

"You said you were going to look out for him," hissed Kurt. "You said you were getting a job there so that you could look after him. Why didn't you... why... when I left he was just a Tasker. They had said the Breeder title hadn't worked out for him, so he was just a Tasker. It has been a year and a half since his two week stint as a Breeder. That doesn't make any sense, Finn! Because, because... Why didn't you stop them? Or at least tell me? Why didn't you tell me that they had made him a breeder again?"

"Kurt... what? What is going on?" asked Finn, sounding defensive but confused. "What are you talking about?"

"You said you'd look out for him," cried Kurt, his voice going between too loud and too quiet as his emotions shook him between anger and sorrow. "You said and... OH MY G*D... Rachel... and no wonder he's been so... FINN! How could you let this happen to him?"

"Kurt," spoke Finn, trying to sound soothing. "You need to calm down because you really aren't making any sense. Did something happen to Rachel? Is she okay?"

"Of course _Rachel_ would be your first concern," exclaimed Kurt, anger taking over. "Even though I've been talking about _Blaine_ and how he was a _Tasker_ but somehow HAS... A... CHILD!"

"What!" yelped Finn.

"You heard me!" sobbed Kurt, anger giving away to crying, again. "Blaine has a child."

There was silence on Finn's end of the phone except for the distant mechanical sounds of work continuing at the shop. Kurt closed his eyes and let the familiarity of the noise sooth him momentarily as he fought to catch his breath.

"Wow," Finn finally said in a quiet voice. "Um, congrats?"

Kurt let out a squeal of frustrations and pulled his cell away from his face to violently press down on the end call button. He took a few calming breaths that hardly helped to calm him and then dialed the familiar number of his family's home phone. He really needed to talk to his dad.

Just as the first ring sounded, the apartment door opened and Rachel stepped in with a huge smile on her face. It immediately dropped, though, when she took in the sight of Kurt standing in the hallway only feet away from her. Kurt sighed and ran a hand over his face, knowing his eyes were probably red-rimmed and that there were tear tracks down his cheeks.

"Kurt?" she asked, dropping her bag and the coat that was hung over her arm onto the floor. "Kurt, Sweetie, what's wrong?"

Kurt let out a shaky sigh and ended the call. He motioned for her to follow him as he turned and walked back to the living room. Blaine was still sitting on the couch looking worried. He sat up straighter when he saw Kurt approach, but his face fell when Rachel followed behind Kurt. Not wanting to deal with Blaine at the moment, Kurt simply picked up the letter and handed it to Rachel before walking off to his bedroom. He plopped down on his bed and looked back down at his phone.

Soft footfalls told him that Blaine had followed after him. Kurt looked up at Blaine and gave him a sad half-smile, opening his arms in invitation. Blaine quickened his stride and crawled up onto the bed and into Kurt's lap. Kurt let out a shaky breath as he held Blaine tight. His mind was reeling with the new information. If the baby had just been born, then that meant that while Kurt was excitedly starting his first year of college just under a year ago, Blaine was being forced to breed. Kurt thought he might be sick.

"Oh my gosh!" cried out Rachel from the other room but Kurt ignored her to continue in his own thoughts.

Or maybe they hadn't had to _force_ Blaine. Perhaps Blaine had liked the role. Kurt shook his head. No, if Blaine had any interest in females, he would have noticed. Plus, if Blaine was interested, then they wouldn't have had trouble with him as a Breeder the first time around. Unless. Unless he had refused before because he only wanted Kurt but then once Kurt had left him for good, he had relented. But why would they have decided to try him again?

Kurt's stomach twisted in his throat when a new thought struck him. What if it was his fault? The female breeder would have gotten pregnant only a few months after Kurt's night with Blaine. What if his having sex with Blaine that night had somehow caused them to decide to try Blaine again? Perhaps the launderer had seen come on Blaine's sheets. Perhaps the room had smelled like sex the next morning when a staff member had arrived to wake Blaine. Kurt felt like he was going to pass out. He couldn't shake the fear that it was somehow his fault. He clutched onto Blaine even tighter, tears streaming freely down his face.

Rachel burst into his room, then, causing both young men to startle.

"This can't be real," she exclaimed, waving the letter around in the air from where she stood in the doorway. "Is this... really?"

Kurt just nodded.

Rachel clasped her hands to her chest, wrinkling the letter in his grasp, and bounced around on the spot. An excited grin painted her face. Kurt groaned. Rachel and Finn really were perfect for each other. Both were so absolutely daft.

"Little Blaine babies," she squealed.

"I don't think you're grasping the weight of the situation, Rachel," Kurt managed to say in a monotone voice, still holding Blaine.

Rachel let her hands fall to her sides and frowned at Kurt.

"No," she sighed. "No, I know."

She let out a soft sigh and moved to sit on the edge of Kurt's bed.

"Somehow, they forced Blaine to..." she sighed, letting the thought go unfinished. "We don't know how they did it, but considering that he's gay, it probably wasn't pleasant for him. He's probably emotionally scarred from it. And because he can't speak, we'll probably never know just what happened or how it affected him or how often it plagues him."

Rachel's eyes began to well with tears.

"It's no wonder he was so frightened by me yesterday," she said on a heavy exhale. "I probably brought back some terrible memories with my unintended advances."

She turned to look at both Kurt and Blaine, then.

"I'm so sorry, Blaine," she cried.

Kurt could see her hands twitch like she wanted to reach for them but was holding herself back. He wished nothing had come between Blaine and Rachel; it had been so great to see their friendship growing. He had no idea at the time just how big of a deal it had been that Blaine had connected with Rachel. Now that he knew a little of Blaine's troubles at The Farm, Blaine and Rachel's friendship seemed even more precious; precious and fragile. He hoped it could be mended. Blaine really needed all the love he could get.

Suddenly, Kurt's cell began to vibrate and ring next to him. He let go of Blaine with one arm so that he could grab the phone. The caller ID informed him that it was home calling.

"Hello?" spoke Kurt upon receiving the call.

"Kurt?" sounded his father's voice through the tinny speaker. "Kiddo, are you okay? Finn just called from the shop."

"Oh," replied Kurt dumbly.

"He said something about Blaine getting some girl pregnant?" questioned Burt. "I'm thinking he must have been confused. Can you please tell me what is going on?"

Kurt shook his head and exhaled a humorless laugh at Finn's cluelessness, then preceded to explain the situation to his father.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **Okay, short update because I didn't wanna leave ya hanging. It might be a little while before I can get a chance to update again, though... I have some other responsibilities to deal with over the next while. As much fun as it is for me to freak y'all out with cliffhangers, I didn't wanna leave you in such a state for any sort of prolonged period. That might be a little too mean. That said, I don't know if this _really_ makes it better...


	20. Chapter 19

****Title:**** Why I Feel This Way**  
><strong>Pairings<strong>: **Kurt/Blaine**  
><strong>Rating<strong>: **R**  
><strong>Story Warnings:<strong> ** Pet!Blaine, allusion to previous dubcon/noncon experiences, typos and grammatical errors**  
><strong>Note<strong>: **This story is the SEQUEL to Man's Best Friend

* * *

><p><strong><em>Chapter Nineteen<br>_**

* * *

><p>What do I do?" asked Kurt after explaining everything in a rush.<p>

He fidgeted as he waited impatiently for his father to respond. It was a long pause while Burt took everything in. Kurt had expelled all the information and his worries (but strategically leaving out information about him breaking in to have good-bye sex with Blaine at the Farm) at once, undoubtedly leaving his father reeling from the information overload.

"I don't know, Kiddo," replied Burt, eventually. "That's... wow."

Kurt groaned agreement at the assessment.

"I want to fix this for him," Kurt admitted hoarsely. "I have to make this better."

He leaned is forehead against Blaine's collarbone and let out a shaky breath as he listened to his father sigh on the other end of the phone call. It felt like the safest place in the world; being held in Blaine's arms while listening for his father's advice. It helped ground him, but his heart was still beating from its new location in his throat.

"You can't always fix everything, Kiddo," said Burt. "Sometimes you..."

"He can't talk," cut in Kurt, suddenly, with a shrillness to his voice. "He can't even tell me how he feels. I want to help him with this but he can't tell me what he wants or needs."

"Kurt," spoke Burt evenly, his voice taking on a stern parental lilt.

It caused Kurt to pause before his hysterics could build further.

"He doesn't need to be able to talk to tell you things," said Burt causing Kurt's brow to crease. "You know him better than anyone. His not being able to speak isn't a new problem. You communicated before, you can do it still. Just pay attention to him, I'm sure he'll show you want he wants from you."

Kurt let out a sigh. His dad was right. Of course he was right. That was something about his dad Kurt had come to depend on, though it still astounded him on a regular basis. His dad was wise and, more often than not, could say exactly what Kurt needed to hear. Kurt rolled his head to the side and looked up at Blaine. The young man looked down at him, his golden hazel eyes were filled with concern. Suddenly, Kurt's chest tightened with a distantly familiar feeling. It was a realization –one that had rocked his world the first time and was overwhelming him similarly, again. He loved this person. Mute or _pet_ or... sexual abuse victim, Kurt loved Blaine with all his being.

"Kurt?" questioned his father's voice through the cell phone's speaker.

"Thanks, Dad," was all Kurt could choke out in that moment.

"Any time," replied Burt.

They were quiet for a few long moments, matching the rest of the room. Kurt was reveling in his torrent of emotions, Burt was probably just patiently waiting for Kurt to say something more, Rachel was still sitting perched on the end of the bed, and Blaine was holding Kurt to his chest.

Finally, Kurt exhaled softly and asked Burt how everyone was doing. Burt let out a breath, probably relieved that Kurt was feeling better enough to converse further. He gave a quick rundown of what was happening each in Carole's, Finn's and his life. Kurt asked about the shop and they began chatting about the early summer rush and how Finn was handling his new role. By the time the phone call was over, Kurt was feeling lighter. At some point in the call, Rachel had left the room.

When Kurt ended the call, he placed the cell in his pocket and turned his full attention to Blaine. Blaine smiled softly at Kurt, his eyes sparkling when they met Kurt's. Wrapping his arms around Blaine, Kurt brought their bodies snuggly back together in a tight embrace. Things between them had been confusing since Blaine had been brought back into Kurt's life. Blaine had only been with him just under three weeks, but it felt longer with the amount of emotional turmoil that went with it all.

Kurt had so many questions, but his fears and hurt feelings over Blaine no longer being interested in loving him were being mended. Blaine was unsure when he arrived. Sure, he had hugged Kurt when he had been first freed from the tasking farm, but after that he had kept to himself. He had been jumpy and nervous, he had shied away from human contact, he had been unsure of how to act around even Kurt. When he finally allowed himself to go to Kurt the week before in the bathtub, he still hadn't pushed for anything, only closeness. Kurt let out a shuddering breath and pressed his face into Blaine's throat.

Blaine's actions had added to Kurt's hesitance and insecurities over their relationship. Now that he understood some of the 'why' behind them, Kurt felt more confident in his feelings toward Blaine. It didn't seem like it should make sense. It shouldn't have taken learning that Blaine had been sexually abused in some form for Kurt to decide that he did indeed _love_ Blaine. But, that was what had happened and Kurt decidedly stopped himself from overanalyzing the strange reasoning. He had been overanalyzing everything lately. He had been rethinking things and letting doubts make him wishy-washy in his choices.

He had been second-guessing the feelings of high school Kurt. He had been worried that he perhaps really had been just a '_pervy_' boy with no other options, and had ignored the part where he had done all he could to get Blaine back because why? ...Because he had loved him –_loved him_.

"From now on, Blaine," whispered Kurt, pressing kisses to his throat every time he paused. "I am going to simply love you."

Blaine hummed happily and exhaled a soft sigh.

"It doesn't have to make sense," continued Kurt. "It doesn't need a name or a relationship status; it just has to be there. I love you and I am going to love you however you want me to. It'll all be up to you. I'm going to calm down and just be patient. We're young; we have all the time in the world. It doesn't have to be anything tangible right now. You lead, Blaine... you lead and I'll follow."

Kurt's words stuttered and he paused for a few moments to try to collect himself as emotion overtook him.

"I'm sorry for being an idiot," he whispered tearfully. "I was only a few weeks ago that I told you that you're mine but I'm also yours. I meant it, Blaine, I really did. The problem wasn't you, it was me. The problem was that I wasn't living up to it. So, from now on, I'll be yours. I'll be whatever you need me to be. I _want_ to be that for you, Blaine. I thought I needed a real boyfriend, a _real_ relationship, to feel fulfilled in that part of my life. What I didn't realize is that not everything can have such simple definitions."

Kurt's eyes widened. He was suddenly bombarded with the memory of his conversation with Mr. Gabriner the week before.

_"Sorry," sighed Kurt. "I'm a little on edge right now."_

_"No kidding," laughed the professor. "So... not just friends, then."_

_"It's... complicated," sighed Kurt._

_Mr. Gabriner nodded contemplatively._

_"Most things are," he said gently before brightening. "Of course, we tend to make things more complicated than they have to be."_

"We tend to make things more complicated than they have to be," whispered Kurt, softly.

He pulled back from Blaine to look up at the young man. He was so busy being upset that Blaine wouldn't be able to properly fill the 'boyfriend' role he had so desperately wanted, that he had ended up complicating what was probably the most simple relationship possible. Perhaps Blaine would never be able to be the 'boyfriend' Kurt had been dreaming of one day having since he had been thirteen, but that didn't make what Blaine and he had anything less special.

"I love you, Blaine," Kurt spoke hoarsely, tears prickling in his eyes.

He hugged him tightly, again.

"You lead, I'll follow," whispered Kurt almost inaudibly.

The next morning Kurt had to force himself to get out of bed and ready for work. He didn't want to leave Blaine alone, not with the new information. He just wanted to cuddle with him in his blanket cocoon and hold him forever. He dragged his feet as he got himself ready for work early that morning. He showered, shaved, moisturized, and got dressed in cloud of frustration. On three occasions while he got ready for work, he nearly got out his copy of the staff list to try to find someone to cover for him. But, he was still so new at the job and he had already left early once, he knew it was best that he just went in. It wasn't like Blaine hadn't been dealing with the issue for almost an entire year, anyway. It was with that resolve that Kurt pulled aside part of the blanket cocoon to give Blaine a kiss on the forehead before he left for his shift.

The day was just beginning and the sun was still low on the eastern horizon, causing most the streets to lie in shadow beneath the tall buildings. Kurt hurried along the slowly filling sidewalks as he headed to work. The first few hours of work were busy with getting everything ready for the morning rush of people in need of a caffeine fix on their way to work. Kurt had been so busy with his tasks that lunch snuck up on him with little notice. Suddenly Penny was telling Kurt to take his lunch break and Kurt finally noticed the rumbling in his empty stomach.

He went to the back room of the little shop and grabbed his brown paper bag before pushing open the door to the front of the cafe. As he scanned the shop for an empty table out of the way, his eyes fell on Shawn and he inwardly cringed. Shawn, who was sitting at a small, round table with his bright green eyes, his thick brown hair, his long gorgeous legs crossed at the knee and his hopeful smile. Kurt sighed and plastered a smile on his face before starting for the table.

"Hi, Kurt," chirped Shawn, happily. "I've really been enjoying these lunches and was hoping it wasn't too forward to allow them to become something of a routine."

Kurt hid his grimace behind a smile.

"Don't you work?" he asked, hoping it didn't sound rude.

Shawn simply chuckled.

"I do," he replied. "But I work the late shift at my job. I don't start until three, or sometimes five."

Kurt nodded slowly while he began to take his lunch out of his paper bag.

"So, I was thinking," said Shawn, his emerald eyes shining brightly. "Nicholas and I were going..."

Kurt closed his eyes and inwardly groaned. He had to say something. He really did like Shawn, but at this point in time, Shawn was too much of a complication.

"...and perhaps if you aren't busy this weekend you could c..."

"Shawn," Kurt cut in determinedly. "We need to talk."

Shawn's face froze before his smile fell a little. He bit his full bottom lip and nodded to himself.

"Okay," he sighed.

"I think you're really special, Shawn," started Kurt, already hating himself because of the sad look he was putting on Shawn's face. "But, I really can't be anything more than friends with you. It isn't because you aren't attractive or sweet or great to be around, because you are all those things. I just..."

Kurt let out a heavy breath and squeezed his eyes shut tightly. He took a breath and then opened his eyes to see how Shawn was fairing. The man was frowning sadly at him but looked almost curious of what Kurt was about to say.

"I have this _thing_... this prior relationship with someone... and it just, we don't really know how to define it just yet, so, I mean..." Kurt paused to let out a frustrated sigh at his ineloquence. "He's not my boyfriend but he's_ something_, and it's kind of a mess because I don't really know where we stand, but... Shawn, I'm in love with him."

"I see," said Shawn after a few moments of pregnant silence.

"I'm sorry," apologized Kurt, quickly. "I never wanted to lead you on. But you were persistent and I do... I do like you."

"No," replied Shawn, raising a hand and shaking his head. "You don't have to apologize, Kurt. You said right from the start that we could only be friends. I just hoped that you'd reconsider after spending some time with me."

Kurt frowned and looked down at his lunch. They sat in silence for a little while, just letting the noise of the cafe and the city overtake them.

"I'd still like to be your friend," said Shawn, finally. "If that's still on the table."

Kurt beamed at him.

"Yeah," he said, smiling a little too big. "That's, yeah... I'd like that."

"Great," replied Shawn with a relieved smile.

They ate lunch together, trading stories about their pasts and talking about music and TV shows they liked. Kurt was feeling better about everything by the time his lunch break was over and it was time for him to get back to work. Shawn gave him a quick hug when it was time to leave. Kurt was happy and relieved that he could still have Shawn in his life.


	21. Chapter 20

****Title:**** Why I Feel This Way**  
><strong>Pairings<strong>: **Kurt/Blaine**  
><strong>Rating<strong>: **R**  
><strong>Story Warnings:<strong> ** Pet!Blaine, typos and grammatical errors**  
><strong>Note<strong>: **This story is the SEQUEL to Man's Best Friend

* * *

><p><strong><em>Chapter Twenty<br>_**

* * *

><p>Kurt wondered, not for the first time that day, if he was insane for bringing Blaine with him. Mr Gabriner had invited <em>both<em> of them, though. Plus, had he not decided to bring him, Kurt would have never discovered that Blaine looked absolutely fantastic in a suit.

Blaine pressed closed to Kurt once they exited the taxi in front of the large stone steps of the museum and gallery. The lights shone brightly through the three large arched doorways into the dark of the night. Kurt took a deep breath, smiled sideways at Blaine, then took his hand and looped their arms together. They ascended the stone stairs together. Blaine's eyes flicked back and forth, trying to take in the excited but restrained commotion around them. Men and women dressed up in an array of fashion choices anyway between full out black tie to grungy hipster mulled around them, talking in low voices with each other.

When they entered the large room where the exhibit was being held, Kurt quickly glanced around looking for familiar faces. He didn't really expect to see anyone he knew other than Mr. Gabriner, considering he didn't run in these circles, but one never knows where they'll meet a familiar face in New York City. Mr. Gabriner was standing off to the side with a few other people, chatting animatedly about something, flailing his arms in large gestures and almost spilling his drink with each movement. Kurt moved through the groups of visiting people with Blaine still on his arm, trying to get a little closer to Mr. Gabriner.

He wanted to make sure that the artist and professor saw them there as soon as possible so that he could rest assured that they did come even if Kurt ended up having to leave early with Blaine. He and Rachel had spent some time in the last few days trying to teach Blaine simple introductory manners so that he wouldn't stand out as strange at the opening night, but Kurt was still nervous about how Blaine would handle the gathering.

"Kurt!" called out Mr. Gabriner when he noticed Kurt and Blaine approaching him through the crowd. "I am so glad you were able to come! And Blaine, so good to see you again!"

Kurt could feel his cheeks pink as Mr. Gabriner's outburst brought the attention of many of the people around them onto him and Blaine. He smiled and pulled Blaine close as he made the last few steps to Mr. Gabriner's side. A few of the people standing with him gave Kurt and Blaine curious smiles.

Mr. Gabriner reached to shake Kurt hand enthusiastically. Blaine watched them shake hands, his body tensing with what might have been anticipation as he knowingly waited for his turn. He looked almost proud of himself when he thrust out his hand once Mr. Gabriner and Kurt released each other's hand. Mr. Gabriner grinned in amusement and shook Blaine's hand.

He was quick, then, to introduce Kurt as one of his star pupils and Blaine as one of his gorgeous models for this event. Kurt was nervous of Blaine being outed as one of the models but Mr. Gabriner didn't point out which piece was Blaine's. He let the names and titles of the people he was introduced to float over his head, knowing he wouldn't remember and that it was probably of little consequence to him. They all sounded very 'cultured' and well immersed in the arts community, but none stood out to him as he was not well-versed in said community.

He did perk up, though, when a tall, thin woman around Mr. Gabriner's age slinked up to the group and put her arm around his waist. She was dressed in a dazzling, clingy black dress that sparkled metallically in the lighting. A large grin crossed Mr. Gabriner's face at her presence.

"Kurt, Blaine" he said, turning back to them. "This is my fiancée, Taylor Moretti."

Kurt was glad he hadn't partaken of any of the refreshments yet, thinking he might just have spat out whatever was in his mouth at the introduction.

"Oh," he finally stammered. "I... um... it is a pleasure to meet you."

Kurt smiled dumbly at her, and she smirked flirtatiously at him before offering her hand. He grasped it in his and lifted it nearly to his lips before releasing the long, slender fingers.

"I'm sorry, I just..." Kurt smiled in embarrassment as Taylor and Mr. Gabriner both gave him matching curious looks. "When you said 'Taylor', I assumed you meant a man. I um... always just thought you were..."

Kurt laughed softly, looking down at his shiny black shoes as he shook his head at himself. He miserably hoped he hadn't made a complete ass of himself. He looked up when he heard Mr. Gabriner's booming laugh just in time to catch Taylor's eye as she smirked at him in amusement.

"While, as an artist, I appreciate all forms of the human body," said Mr. Gabriner wiping the tears from his eyes once his laughter had subsided. "I haven't ever partaken of..."

He was cut off when the straining of a microphone coming to life reached their ears.

"Hello everyone, thank you so much for joining us this evening," started the voice of a young woman through the speaker system.

The crowd of people all looked up and turned their heads, almost in unison, as everyone searched out the interruption. Blaine's shoulder was pressed into Kurt's as they stood closely together near Mr. Gabriner, Taylor, and a few other guests whose names Kurt had already forgotten. Kurt found the woman standing in front of the longest wall of the room dressed in a black woman's blazer, a white dress shirt, and a grey pencil skirt holding a microphone.

"Tonight we're celebrating an artist who pushes boundaries, who has constantly introduced us to new concepts and though processes over the years, and who has singlehandedly kick-started many of the local movements in our art community. This is his seventh annual solo exhibit here at Gallery Folie and we are so proud to be able to boast his presence in our gallery."

She paused in her introduction to make eye-contact with Mr. Gabriner through the crowd before grinning brightly and saying, "Robert Garbriner, everybody!"

The clapping as Mr. Gabriner sauntered in an almost drunk gait was something a few steps up from a 'Golf-Applause'. When Mr. Gabriner reached the hosts' side, she handed him the microphone after they exchanged a cheek to cheek _un bec_. He turned toward the group and smiled brightly, taking in the group gathered in his honor. His eyes sparkled under the multiple lights of the gallery lighting and, from the corner of his eye, Kurt noticed Taylor making heart-eyes at the man. Kurt smiled, touched by her support and obvious infatuation.

"Ladies, gentleman, uppity rich brats," greeted Mr. Gabriner, his grin growing as he spoke. "Thank you for coming out this evening. It is an honor to stand before you once again, though Madame Charbonneau has brought to my attention that I am getting old."

He wrinkled his nose and said 'old' with such distaste that it caused a stirring of quiet laughter from the small crowd. His eyes sparkled mischievously as he took a quick moment to appreciate his affect on the group before continuing.

"Tonight I want to introduce you to the beauty and intricacy of the human mind," he said in voice heavy with mystery and excitement, instantly sparking the interest of everyone in the room. "With the help of my dear friend, Doctor Taro Aoti, I was able to do something of a study on the minds of twenty different individuals. For very little pay, they allowed us to make them into lab rats for a few hours while we hooked them up to godless machines of science."

Kurt could feel himself smirking at the way Mr. Gabriner's tone and choice of words brought out the best reactions of the people in the room. He found himself feeling proud to be able to link himself with this inane and creative man.

"We bombarded them with all kinds of images and watched as their brains lit up in response. Now, I am no scientist, but I must say, the results were astounding!" he said excitedly before suddenly narrowing his eyes and allowing his smile to turn into a devilish grin and he leaned in as if about to share a secret. "And I learned a lot of dirty little secrets."

He let out a huff of distress and straightened his position before placing his free hand over his chest and giving everyone a look of mock affront.

"Do you have any idea how many _sexual deviants _there are in this room?" he exclaimed in concern.

A few people roared with laughter at that. Mr. Gabriner grinned cheekily. Kurt smiled and rolled his eyes before leaning his sideways toward Blaine who was standing beside him looking passively confused.

"In any case," continued Mr. Gabriner, taking a short breath and becoming a little more serious. "This room is filled with canvases that illustrate our results. There are no definitions, but the titles explain a little as to what was being shown to each individual when this reaction happened in their brain. I hope you find it intriguing. The human brain, like the rest of the human body, and all of the earth, is something to marvel. So, go, marvel! Marvel at my artistic genius! And, I hope you all brought your chequebooks as everything is for sale... except for the refreshments, they are free, so partake and enjoy."

Mr. Gabriner made a large, sweeping dismissive gesture with his arms, shooing everyone to stop staring at him and go explore the art gallery. They quickly obliged, chit-chat starting up again as the mulled around. The sandy-haired eccentric returned to Taylor a few moments later, flashing Kurt and Blaine a bright smile.

"I'm so glad you boys came out tonight," he said brightly. "I want to show you my most favorite grouping here."

He gave his fiancée a quick kiss on the lips before motioning for Kurt and Blaine to follow him. Blaine's arm was still slotted through Kurt's and the stepped in unison as they followed after Mr. Gabriner. The artist was stopped four times by friendly guests in the short trek to the wall that held Blaine's brain, but soon they reached their destination.

"This," he exclaimed, turning around in front of the large canvases hanging together as their own installation and opening his arms wide in a 'tada' gesture. "Is my most favorite grouping of the entire show."

Kurt's eyes tipped away from the man and his flamboyant gesture and focused on the large canvases hanging artfully together behind him. First was a tall canvas, possibly seven feet tall, with four prints of a simplistic brain lit up with bright colours in different places. The brains were backed with large splotches of black paint. There was a long canvas hanging beside it. It was mostly white save for a squiggly line of colour stretching horizontally from one side to the other (similar to the ones on Blaine's EEG results) backed by a few black splotches. Below it was a smaller square canvas that showed a painting of the profile view of the brain done in a style very similar to the large canvas showing four versions of the brain from above. There was a little plated sign below the right hand corner of the long canvas. Kurt took a few steps forward and squinted at it.

"True Love" he read out loud before furrowing his brow and turning to Mr. Gabriner.

A few other people had sidled up to them, probably curious to hear what Mr. Gabriner was saying about one of his pieces. Mr. Gabriner gave Kurt a look that was near exasperation. He looked like there was something he wanted to explain, but shook his head when he seemed to notice how many other people were standing within earshot at that point.

"Man becomes man only by his intelligence, but he is man only by his heart," Mr. Gabriner quoted at Kurt. "Frederic Amiel."

The quote was familiar to Kurt because the artist and professor had quoted it to him once before. His breath caught in his throat at the words. He turned his gaze back onto the paintings.

"They are all of your Blaine," whispered Mr. Gabriner, leaning in close to Kurt for the second it took him to speak.

"Correct me if I'm wrong," spoke up an older man from Kurt's left. "But are these not the brains of a pet? They look simpler than the rest of the brains you have on display tonight."

"Why, yes," exclaimed Mr. Gabriner, grinning brightly, as if the man asking had made a brilliant discovery.

"A simple mind, one wired for instinctual habits and not clouded with unnecessary thought processes, is a mind best set up for _true love_," explained Mr. Gabriner brightly, putting extra emphasis on the title of his work.

"Don't you think, Mr. Hummel?" added Mr. Gabriner after a short pause, knowing eyes shifting to Kurt's surprised grey-blue..

"I... um... perhaps?" stuttered Kurt, his grasp on Blaine's arm tightening.

Kurt looked around at the art geeks and upper class snots nodding along thoughtfully and forced himself not to roll his eyes. If only they knew. They were just sucking up to Mr. Gabriner, wanting to appear as artistic and forward-thinking as him. Kurt pouted a little but tried to keep his expression neutral. He turned his attention back to the large canvases on the wall in front of him. He cocked his head to the side as he regarded them, wondering what had spurred Mr. Gabriner to title them as such.

"Make sure you look through all the paintings and take advantage of the refreshments before you leave, Kurt," stage-whispered Mr. Gabriner, placing his hands on Kurt's shoulders and giving them a quick squeeze. "Definitely check out Cam's pieces. They're the ones called '_Absurdity_'."

Kurt chuckled and nodded, remembering the elderly man Mr. Gabriner had called Cam from back at the University the evening Blaine had 'modelled'.

"Thanks again for coming," said Mr. Gabriner, smiling at Kurt and patting Blaine on the back.

Then the artist moved away from them through the crowd. Kurt watched him for a few moments, seeing how he interacted with his 'fans' as he continually was stopped to be 'chatted up' on his journey to an unknown destination. Kurt turned back to the paintings once more and bit his lip in concentration.

"Robert told me that this was his favorite grouping of all," said a woman nearby, speaking to two other people standing close to her.

Hearing her speak, Kurt tensed and tried to seem nonchalant while he strained his ears to hear their conversation over the humming of the rest of the room.

"He told me that it had been very interesting to watch the lad's brain light up when his 'lover' came into the room," said the man standing next to her with his arm around the waist of another woman, nodding his head as his spoke. "Said that none of the images he was showing him caused much of a reaction compared to all the humans he studied, but the moment his 'lover' came into the room it was like 'fireworks of colour on the fMRI'. Those are his words."

"_Lover_?" questioned the woman he had his arm around. "People let their pets '_love_' each other? That sounds absolutely pornographic!"

"You don't sound nearly as scandalized as I think you meant to," teased the man. "Perhaps we should get a male for our pet so she could have some company. You seem like you would be interested in watching."

Kurt watched as the woman's eyebrows shot up in surprise before she blushed and turned an angry glare on the man. He grit his teeth and pulled on Blaine's arm to move them away from the group.

"Humans are terrible creatures, Blaine," whispered Kurt, leaning into the other man and enjoying his presence as they walked around the room.

Blaine looked around curiously as they slowly walked the length of the room. Kurt took in the rest of the paintings as they went, glancing sideways at Blaine every few steps. Blaine was not-so-discretely people watching more than he was looking at the paintings. Kurt smiled at his endearing behavior. They stopped at the table of fancy hors d'oeuuvres that didn't represent their ingredients in any fashion and different bottles of wine and sparkling water that people were to help their self to.

Kurt took something on a layered cracker and carefully popped it in his mouth before getting two glasses of water for Blaine and himself. Blaine grabbed something that looked like it could have been a mini stuffed eggplant and took a bite. He immediately made a face at the taste and made to spit it back out.

"No!" hissed Kurt, laughingly as he moved to cover Blaine's mouth with his hand. "G*d Blaine."

Blaine whined but chewed and swallowed the bite. Kurt laughed softly and handed him the glass of sparkling water. He then took the rest of the food item from Blaine's hand and tried to discreetly toss it in a nearby garbage can.

"Do you have any idea how adorable you are?" asked Kurt, smiling softly at Blaine.

Blaine tried to smile back, but his mouth was still twisted in disgust at the taste of whatever he had eaten. Kurt decided it was time to head home. He made sure to stop by the large "True Love" paintings for one last look before he led Blaine out of the building and hailed a taxi cab. It had been an eventful evening and he was ready to get home and cuddle with Blaine while he contemplated what he had learned.


	22. Chapter 21

****Title:**** Why I Feel This Way**  
><strong>Pairings<strong>: **Kurt/Blaine**  
><strong>Rating<strong>: **R**  
><strong>Story Warnings:<strong> ** Pet!Blaine, typos and grammatical errors**  
><strong>Note<strong>: **This story is the SEQUEL to Man's Best Friend

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><p><strong><em>Chapter Twenty-One<br>_**

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><p>It had been two weeks since Kurt had received the letter that had changed everything, and one week since the reveal of Blaine's MRI and EEG results at Mr. Gabriner's Art Show opening night. Kurt had been trying his hardest to live up to his promise to Blaine on that monumental Tuesday when he had read the letter that had brought both answers and questions to light. He was trying to let Blaine lead in their confusing relationship. He was just allowing it to be what it was without putting a name to it.<p>

Even though Blaine was the one supposedly 'leading', it often didn't look that way because Kurt was the one who initialed almost all of their physical contact, no matter how innocent. Kurt didn't feel insecure about being the one to initial hugs and cuddles and even the occasional belly rub though, now that he knew the reasoning behind Blaine's introverted exterior. He understood that it would take time for Blaine's walls to come down. Instead of backing off completely and over-thinking things, Kurt took things slow and was careful to watch Blaine's reactions to his own actions. It didn't take long for Blaine to begin to act more comfortable around Kurt, and even Rachel, again. Soon, he was even acting more himself than he was even before Rachel's groping debacle.

Everything was far from perfect, though. Despite Mr. Gabriner's interpretation of Blaine's reactions and the title he chose for his resulting art pieces, Kurt still didn't know how Blaine truly felt about him or what the curly-haired young man wanted from their relationship. Kurt kept things light between them, not wanting to push himself on Blaine, but leaving an open-invitation to him through small touches and loving smiles. They continued to share a bed at night with Blaine cuddling close to Kurt as they fell asleep and Kurt leaving him in his blanket cocoon in the mornings. Still, beyond the shared bed, things stayed rather neutral between them.

It took another week of Kurt being patient and letting Blaine lead through his reactions before late one afternoon, Blaine kissed Kurt.

Kurt had spent the majority of the afternoon sitting on the couch with his laptop in his lap. He had gotten home from work shortly after two in the afternoon, having had one of his first early shifts at Cafe Noir. The kind of shift where he showed up at work hours before the shop was set to open and had spent time preparing new batches of baked goods and getting machines cleaned and ready for the day. When he had arrived home, he had taken a shower, had a late lunch, made sure Blaine had eaten, and then plopped down on the couch with his laptop. That was where he still was, hours later, still clicking through webpage after webpage as he searched for answers.

He was looking for information on the breeding process at Tasking Farms. He wanted to learn as much as possible about how it was done, even though it hurt him to think of Blaine having to go through it. Whatever information he could find was information that could potentially help him with Blaine. If he knew how things went down, he thought he would have a better chance knowing what things might trigger Blaine, what fears Blaine might have, and overall what he could do to help Blaine move past it. Of course, the information he found was vague at best, and he knew that they would have had to do things a little differently considering Blaine was gay, but it was something.

Rachel was gone for the day. She was gone a lot because her of her play. Kurt had gone to see her on her opening night and had proudly admitted that she had done amazingly, even if she was stuck with Jesse St. James as the leading man. Somehow, Rachel and Finn had managed to patch things up, yet again, and were trying to get back on schedule with their plan of reuniting. Finn had decided to come out the approaching weekend to spend time with the three and to see Rachel's play. Kurt had made sure to tell Finn that Rachel's role was as Jesse St. James' character's lover, not wanting any more drama than necessary. Finn had said he could handle it. Kurt was still wary.

Blaine was sitting on the floor in front of him, golden hazel eyes glued to the television where some absolutely obnoxious children's cartoon was playing. Kurt was running his hand through Blaine's curls, happy they had finally grown long enough that he could properly do so, as he read over a particularly informative website. As he read about the breeding process, he was taking heart at the fact that it wasn't as bad or clinical as he had originally expected, while still simultaneously feeling sick to his stomach at how bad it _was_.

When a chosen female came of age, she and a male would be paired and roomed together. If it was possible, the male chosen was usually a Tasker whom she seemed to have formed some sort of bond with through interaction at the farm, so they were already familiar with each other. The room was under video surveillance to make sure neither pet grew violent with the other. Still, to Kurt, it seemed dubious at best. No one asked the female if she wanted to have sex with that male or if she wanted to get pregnant and carry a child for nine months, if she wanted to become a mother. He could feel tears pricking at his eyes while he read through the explanation. He didn't even want to think about how the mother would feel when her child was taken away from her once it reached four years old.

Once Kurt had read to the bottom of the page, he clicked on a few different links on the website, trying to figure out what might happen if the male showed no interest in the female. He could imagine it might involve performance enhancing drugs and bold females, but he couldn't seem to find any further information. He didn't realize there were tears streaming down his cheeks until he felt a hand on his knee and looked up to see Blaine's eyes staring into his.

Kurt sniffled and wiped his wet cheeks with the back of his hand. Blaine's face was full of concern. The bright-eyed young man stood and then crawled up onto the couch next to Kurt. He pushed at Kurt's thigh until Kurt got the message and set his laptop down on the coffee table.

"I don't think I'll ever know the specifics, Blaine," sighed Kurt, his voice crackling from his emotion. "I don't want to know but I feel like I _really_ _need_ to know."

Blaine crawled into Kurt's lap and moved his legs so that he had a knee pressed into the couch on each side of Kurt. He was kneeling over him, his warm eyes level with Kurt's cool ones. Surprised at Blaine's bold movements, but happy to have him close, Kurt kept still and simply gazed into the beautiful eyes only inches away from his own. He didn't dare move, not wanting to scare Blaine away, but he did speak.

"I've been having nightmares," whispered Kurt as if scared to admit it. "Nightmares about you at the farm. They are so horrible, Blaine."

Kurt's breath caught in his throat when Blaine, glancing between his eyes, placed his warm hands on either side of Kurt's face. Silence and expectation fell heavily over the room as Kurt stared into Blaine's searching eyes. A single tear rolled down Kurt's still-damp cheek. Blaine's eyes fell shut and he leaned in to press his lips softly to Kurt's.

Sucking in a harsh breath through his nose, Kurt lifted his hands but didn't know where to place them and they hung in the air for a few moments before he finally let them rest on Blaine's shoulders. He kissed him back, reveling in the soft, plump lips pressed to his own. The kiss was awkward and unsure, but soon grew into something much more confident as they moved their lips gently against each other.

Blaine let out a soft sigh when they broke apart. When he opened his eyes, they were glowing. Kurt smiled brightly, his hands shaking where they still rested on Blaine's shoulders. It felt like forever since he had felt Blaine's lips against his own. It had been weeks since they had kissed in the bathtub, and before that, it had been an entire year, and before that it had been months and months. Their kisses had been far in between, to say the least. Kurt let out a small sigh that echoed Blaine's before leaning back in to place a few soft kisses to his slightly kiss-swollen lips. Blaine smiled.

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><p>Kurt had spent his day off cleaning the apartment and moving the living room furniture around to make space for a blow-up mattress to accommodate Finn. Blaine helped him push the couch to the far corner of the room, but otherwise spent the time curled up in the rocking chair watching Kurt curiously. It was Friday and Finn was due to arrive late that afternoon just in time to take in Rachel's evening performance.<p>

Once Kurt had the middle of the living room cleared, he went to the closet near the entry to look for the box that contained the air mattress and pump. He sighed when he slid open the folding closet door and saw the groupings of roses hanging upside down from a few different hangers. Rachel always kept her flowers from shows and liked to hang them in the entry closet to dry. Kurt had yet to say anything to her about it because it made the coats in the closet smell nice. With the success of her show, though, she was getting a lot of flowers and it was becoming a problem.

As Kurt reached to push aside a few of the coats to reach further back in the deep closet, the back of his hand brushed against one of the rose bouquets causing a shower of rose petals to fall to the floor. Growling under his breath, Kurt turned to grab the broom and dustpan from the far side of the closet so he could clean up the sudden mess. More petals fell to the floor from all the movement and an entire bud fell into one of Blaine's worn-out old shoes. The sneakers he had worn home from the tasking farm but hadn't worn much since.

Not wanting to leave the shoe full of crumbling, dried rose petals, even if Blaine barely wore them since their big shopping trip, Kurt picked up the shoe and shook it upside down. Along with the rose bud and a few other rose petals, a small rectangular piece of paper fluttered to the floor. Brow furrowed, Kurt set down the shoe and reached for the paper. It was photo-paper, worn thin and edges creased. The white back was yellowed from being kept in the bottom of a shoe. Kurt turned it over in his fingers and gasped when he recognized it has his school photo. The photo he had given Blaine their last night together before Kurt had moved away to New York. Blaine had kept it all this time. He had kept it in his shoe to keep it from being discovered by the caretakers at the tasking farm and to always have it close by.

Kurt's heart lurched in his chest.

_"I can see it in his eyes when he looks at you, though."_

_"See what?" Kurt asked his voice tight from the emotions he was feeling from their conversation._

_"That you're the sun and the moon and the stars," laughed Rachel, knowing her choice of words was rather dramatic, even for her._

Kurt closed his eyes and took a deep breath before slowly letting it out through his nose. His exhale caught in his chest near the end, a small sob catching hold. Tears welled up behind his closed eyelids.

Despite finally having made the decision to stick with Blaine and not worry about definitions, Kurt still found himself second-guessing his decision at times. Not knowing for sure where he stood with Blaine coupled with the fact that whatever he did have with Blaine was socially unacceptable and, if it progressed to how things were between them before Blaine had been stolen away, even illegal, it was easy for Kurt to wonder.

Sometimes when he was feeling especially low, Rachel's words would drift in through his memory, _Blaine can't sing you heartfelt love songs, or give you surprise visits at work, or candlelight dinners, or trips to Paris. Blaine can't even say 'I Love You'._ She was right about what she had said, but when she had said it, she had been simply trying to get Kurt to look at all angles before he had made a solid decision. Kurt had made his decision, so he needed to push those thoughts aside and not let them be used as ammunition against him during moments of weakness.

It was hard with things still so up-in-the-air between Blaine and himself. He knew he had bound himself to Blaine and he planned on following through unfailingly. He just wasn't always certain of what that meant they would end up being to each other. But there had been progress when Blaine had suddenly kissed him only the day before.

Kurt looked down at the little photograph in his hand. The corners of his mouth lifted slightly as he imagined Blaine back at the tasking farm taking the photo out of his shoe to look at when he was sure he was alone. Blaine loved him.

Now that he knew for sure, it didn't seem like such a difficult thing to give up the romantic dinners, the social simplicity of a 'regular' relationship, the relationship titles like _boyfriend_ and eventually, _husband_. He could give up the 'traditional' parts of a relationship, as long as he could have Blaine. Now, that he knew Blaine loved him, he knew it was worth it.

Rachel's words of "_Blaine can't even say 'I Love You'_" had been echoing in his mind every time he had wondered if he had made the right decision. Now, though, they didn't seem so loud.

"He just did," whispered Kurt to himself. "He just did."

Kurt stood up from where he had been kneeling on the floor when he heard Blaine come padding up behind him, probably wondering where he had disappeared to for so long. The curly-haired young man tilted his head to the side, regarding Kurt with curiosity. Kurt smiled softly at him and reached out to show him the photo in his hand.

Blaine smiled brightly when he recognized the picture. He gently plucked it from Kurt's fingers and raised it to his lips to give it a kiss. It reminded Kurt of the year before when Blaine had done the same thing to the photograph when Kurt had first given it to him. A happy sob burst from Kurt's lips and he threw his arms around Blaine, hugging him tightly.

"I love you," he whispered softly as he held Blaine close.

Once Kurt had recovered, he pulled cleaned up the mess of rose petals and then got the air mattress and pump from the back of the closet. After unrolling it in the centre of the living room and showing Blaine how to work the hand pump, Kurt left Blaine to finish blowing it up and went to his bedroom. He rummaged through the papers on his small desk pushed into the far corner of the room but to no avail. He straightened and stood with his hands on his hips and surveyed his room thoughtfully for a full two minutes before he remembered. Kurt moved to his bedside table and pulled out the letter he had left in the bottom drawer. He pulled it out of the business envelope and unfolded it to reread. Finally, taking a deep breath, he picked up his cell phone and dialed the number written at the bottom of the paper.

"Hello, you've reached The Home in Lima, this is Daphne speaking, how may I help you?" came a voice through the phone.

"Hi, I received a letter a few weeks ago about the possibility of reserving..."

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><p><strong>AN: Thank you for reading, my lovelies. You are all splendid and have been wonderful to continue this journey through my pet!blaine verse with. I hope you've enjoyed this story... don't worry, there's an epilogue coming. Also, I am answering questions on my tumblr ()  
><strong>


	23. Epilogue

****Title:**** Why I Feel This Way**  
><strong>Pairings<strong>: **Kurt/Blaine**  
><strong>Rating<strong>: **R**  
><strong>Story Warnings:<strong> ** Pet!Blaine, typos and grammatical errors**  
><strong>Note<strong>: **This story is the SEQUEL to Man's Best Friend

* * *

><p><strong><em>Epilogue<br>_**

* * *

><p>"Daddy!" came the happy, high-pitched squeal of a blur that resembled a girl. "Daddy! Daddy!"<p>

Kurt grinned as he watched the petite little girl under the large mop of curly brown hair come running down the stairs. She bolted across the room with her little arms spread wide and familiar smile lighting up her young features. Her grin grew wider and wider with every step she took in her dash in his direction.

When she was almost to him, Kurt took a step to the side to allow her to reach her target. He chuckled a little under his breath as he watched Blaine get catapulted almost completely off his feet from where he was squatting down with his arms open to receive her.

"I missed you so much, Daddy!" she shrieked, hugging him tightly around the neck, no doubt making it hard for him to breathe, and pressing her little nose into his dark curls.

Blaine's face was alight with joy. Nothing in the entire world could put that look on his face besides his daughter, Isabelle. Kurt couldn't stop smiling to himself. He exchanged an amused look with Carole who was still standing by the door from answering the door when they arrived. Kurt undid his coat and hung it in the closet before unlooping his scarf and hanging it over his coat.

"Isabelle," chided Burt as he stepped into view from the living room, a smile on his face and his eyes twinkling. "Won't you let the poor guys get all the way in the door before attacking them?"

"Sorry Gampa," giggled the little girl before letting go of Blaine.

Blaine beamed at her and stood to take off his coat. Kurt took it from him and hung it up while Blaine stepped out of his boots. He grabbed Isabelle, eliciting giggles from the girl, and put her up on his shoulders. Rolling his eyes fondly, Kurt picked up Blaine's boots and put them to the side. Blaine had a one-track mind when it came to his daughter.

"I'm so glad you two could make it for Thanksgiving, Hun," said Carole, giving Kurt a motherly hug.

"Me too," replied Kurt. "Blaine's really been missing her."

"She never stops talking about him," laughed Carole as they walked toward the living room where they could hear Isabelle laughing and Blaine humming loud airplane-like noises.

"How's she been doing in school?" asked Kurt, biting his lip nervously.

"Good," replied Burt before Carole could.

Kurt turned and smiled at his father before giving him a hug.

"She's been doing really well," confirmed Carole, giving Kurt a reassuring smile. "She's having a little trouble with math, but not more so than some of the other kids in her class. We still have her seeing a tutor twice a week to make sure she doesn't fall behind, but she's barely needed it. She's smart, Kurt."

"Her best class is music," added in Burt, grinning proudly at Kurt. "She loves to sing."

Kurt smiled at that. He hadn't regretted for a minute having called to reserve Isabelle so many years ago. It was a huge decision, for sure, and he wasn't sure what he was going to do when he received her. One thing he was sure of, thought was that there was no way he would allow Blaine's own flesh and blood go to someone else. She was Blaine's baby.

There had been a lot of family meetings, a lot of discussions and debates, a lot of tears, a lot of sleepless nights trying to figure out how they would handle raising Isabelle. Burt and Carole had been supportive but Burt had asked Kurt a lot of hard questions. How would he manage to juggle his new career and a four year old? Could Blaine be trusted to take care of her when Kurt was at work? How would Kurt manage, financially, to support the three of them? Where would they live? How did they plan on raising her?

It had taken some fumbling through the first year of having her, but they had finally come up with a situation that suited them. Rachel had been an amazing help during that first year Kurt had Isabelle, babysitting when she could and checking up on the three of them constantly.

When Isabelle started to talk, Kurt had gone through Mr. Gabriner to Dr. Aoti. The man was excited to do some tests on her. They found out that her brain didn't look anything like Blaine's. It wasn't completely human in level of development and shape, but very close. Kurt had been ecstatic.

Dr. Aoti had been eager to spend more time with Isabelle. Supposedly, he had gotten in touch with some scientists and other people high up in pet research and after some additional tests and research and a lot of talk, he was given a grant for a special study of pet offspring. Kurt didn't know all the details. What Kurt really cared about was that Isabelle's pet status had been taken off her birth certificate and she was given a legal American citizenship.

The following fall, she had started school just like a normal 5 year old. Her permanent home ended up being with Burt and Carole back in Lima. She still spent some weekends in New York with Kurt and Blaine, and Kurt tried to get out to Lima so he and Blaine could visit as much as possible. Now she was 6, almost 7, and in grade one. She was doing well but Kurt kept worrying that at any point they would hit a wall. Her abilities were vastly wider than Blaine's but she still had limits and Kurt was scared she'd reach them all too soon. He hoped they would be minor, so much so that she would be able to grow up to live her own life.

Kurt grinned as he watched Blaine run around the living room in circles. He was holding on to Isabelle's legs as she spread her arms out like an airplane from where she sat perched on his shoulders. She was trying to mimic his airplane noises, but kept breaking out into giggles. Kurt leaned against the wall and let out a sigh. Sometimes he thought about quitting his new job working for the up-and-coming fashion brand and moving back to Lima with Blaine so Isabelle could live with them and still go to her school. But then he would wonder what he would do for a living, or his dad would holler at him for giving up all those years of college working toward where he is now. But looking at Blaine and Isabelle interact filled him with such a beautiful ache. He wanted it every day.

Blaine caught his eye from across the room and shot him a bright smile and a little wink. Kurt couldn't help that it caused him to blush and smile back bashfully. Even after being together for so many years, they were crazy about each other. Sure, it was hard. It was still a secret, a secret that was incredibly harder to keep as they grew more and more comfortable in their maturing relationship. Blaine was still silent and mysterious. Kurt still worried about leaving him for long periods when he had to work. Kurt worried that Blaine wasn't always happy and hated that they couldn't talk it out, that he had to just make assumptions. But, in the end, they loved each other and supported each other in their own ways, and Kurt never once regretted choosing Blaine.


End file.
